Comfort
by oswaldspink
Summary: Clara and Danny's life together with and without the Doctor. Kind of in chronological order, with time gaps in between (pinkwald ;D)
1. Chapter 1- New Arrivals

**Hey so here's the next chapter! This is set around 2 to 3 months after the previous one. It took a long time to write as I really wanted to get the characterisation down so I hope you like it! Reviews are much appreciated, thanks x**

New arrivals

Clara was woken up by the sunbeams shining through the crack in the curtains. She moaned and began to gain consciousness after having a really good, deep night sleep. She turned her head towards Danny's side of the bed and was slightly downhearted to see that he was not there. Then everything came back to her. She remembered earlier on in the morning how he had kissed her on the head lightly leaving her half asleep and gone off to work. He had tried to get more time off but decided to save his holiday time until after the baby had been born. As disappointed as she was, she knew he had made the right decision.

She lay in bed for a few minutes and realised that she really wasn't looking forward to the day. She had only been on maternity leave for a week and she had already run out of things to do. She hated not being able to work. She loved the kids and her job so much; it broke her heart to leave Coal Hill even if it was for a short time. Despite not wanting to be at home she was sort of glad for the peace. Peace was something that she savoured as she didn't get it very often. Danny and hormonal teenagers seemed to provide a constant supply of noise, however, on a daily basis it didn't really bother her.

As she strolled to get a cup of coffee she realised that she didn't feel quite right. She couldn't put her finger on what felt wrong but she knew that something wasn't normal. Clara thought back to the night before and remembered the strange pains she had got. Why hadn't she said anything? It seemed so stupid now. She hadn't had any more for a while now so she brushed it off as nothing. After all, what would the midwife say? Oh just wait to see if you have anymore? There really was no point calling anyone.

2 cups of tea, 2 biscuits and countless reality tv show rubbish later a familiar sound entered the house. The whiring and whistling of the TARDIS gradually concentrated in and a familiar Scotsman clambered out of the door. He stumbled into the living room where Clara was straining to stand and move to see him. She almost had to do a double take, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. It had been so long since they had seen each other that it didn't quite feel real him being there.

"Clara! Are you okay? Where's PE?" The doctor spurted out questions as he wandered around the room analysing everything in his weird alien-y way. "Sorry it's been a while, how long has it been? I lose track... I saw the biggest solar storm ever! You would have loved it! I nearly got sucked in, well I say nearly? I did! But as you can see I kind of escaped so everything's okay no- oh you look... different!?" Finally he looked over to see Clara clearly.

"It's been a year doctor... I though I would never see you again. And as you can tell, things have changed around here now." She addressed him sternly to gain a straight response from him.

"Yeahhh sorry about that, got distracted... But you've, you've kind of, kinda grown?" He waved his hands about trying to express what he was thinking as though he couldn't find the words to say it.

"Yeah I'm pregnant... Very pregnant actually."

"Oh right... So when are you going to have it?" He looked majorly confused at the news but also not quite 'with it'. He looked distracted as usual.

"Um any day now. I'm due in a week but it could come early." Clara rested her hands on her hips and strolled over to the kitchen. She sighed and suddenly felt really flushed. She really didn't feel right today... The doctor soon followed her.

"Cup of tea? Biscuit?" The doctor analysed the kitchen much like the living room not really paying attention to what Clara had said.

"... Ahh yes please. So boy or girl then?" He rested his back onto the work surface.

"We don't know yet, we wanted to keep it as a surprise for when its born."

"Ahh okay... Umm... So how's PE?" The doctor was looking increasingly more and more uncomfortable.

"You don't have to keep making conversation doctor. I know you're not the best at reunions." They both chuckled as Clara handed him a cup.

"I am sorry you know, for not coming to visit you. So much has changed now. I'm still welcome aren't I?"

"Doctor don't worry about it and of course you are! You're always welcome no matter how far you've been or how long we haven't seen each other for! Come on, come and sit down." They walked to the living room and sat in front of the tv which was muttering in the background.

"Wait, where is PE? Shouldn't he be here? In case you, you... You know..." He waved his hands towards her stomach again as though he couldn't get the words out.

"He's at work, I get to have time off but he doesn't finish until Friday. I'm glad you came round actually, I'm getting quite lonely sat in the house on my own all day."

"Umm your welcome." He shifted in the chair as the uncomfortable look came back to his face. He looked to the ground as though he was thinking of what to say next. He had asked all of his default questions already. Clara just looked at him and smiled, slightly laughing at him. It wasn't until now that she realised how much she had missed him. His quirky walk and sense of style. His awkward way of making conversation and his all round alien-ness. Why hadn't she called him?

A sharp pain in her lower abdomen suddenly broke through her thoughts. It was a strange pain, one that she had never experienced before. Her stomach felt tight and sore like something was pulling on it. She slowly reached to put her cup on the table. The doctor looked up from the floor noticing that something was up.

"Clara? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Clara squirmed in the chair trying to keep her breathing in check. Contractions, she thought to herself. The pain subsided and she slightly relaxed. That hadn't been a very strong one but she knew what was coming.

"Umm yeah I think so... Just a little pain that's all." She looked away as she said it and the doctor immediately knew she was lying. He had travelled with her for too long to not realise when she was lying. Clara sat up dead straight whilst massaging the bottom of her stomach.

"Are you sure? You don't look okay?" He moved slightly towards her as her face turned downwards again.

"Yeah... I'm just going to pop to the loo, be right back." She pushed herself up cautiously and walked to the bathroom on the other side of the room. The doctor watched her as she walked over. Clara shut the door behind her and closed the toilet seat lid to perch on it. She gently rubbed her stomach as it seemed to sooth the pain. Suddenly she clenched forwards tightly and gasped for breath. Another one. This one had felt stronger, it felt more like a contraction. Once the pain subsided again she stood up to walk over to the mirror. As she took the first step she felt a sudden gush of liquid. It was like she had wet herself but she knew she hadn't. That's when the pain really kicked in. She leant over on the sink and used it as a support to keep her upright.

"Ahhhh... Oh shit. Oh shit, shit, shit, shit." She swore through the pain and contemplated what to do next. The doctor must have heard the commotion as she could hear his footsteps outside the door.

"Clara? Are you okay? What's wrong?" She clenched forwards again and let out a small cry.

"Ahhhh doctor! It's the baby! The baby is comingggg! Help!" She began to panic as she reached to open the door so that the doctor could help her. He looked in and stared blankly at Clara leant over in pain. He had no idea what to do.

"Umm, oh, umm, okay, ahh?" He stuttered, trying to think of something useful to say. Clara began to pant and seethe through the pain. He waved his hands around in confusion.

"Doctor!"

"What!? What should I do!?" Clara sighed in frustration.

"Umm, come over here and help me?" He climbed over and grabbed her arm to lead her to the sofa. She sat down and breathed deeply. The doctor noticed her gradually panicking less as the pain left.

"Woah that hurt, that really hurt... Oh my god doctor that really hurt I don't know what to do." She grabbed his arms and pulled him to kneel in front of her. He rested his hands on her shoulders and reassured her.

"What do you want to do next?" Clara continued to breath through the pain and the panic.

"Call Danny, yeah... Call Danny." She jumped forwards again. "Agh doctor it's happening again, no, no, no, no, no. Grab my phone! Quick!" The doctor grabbed it from the table and handed it to her. Her speech was getting more and more erratic. She fiddled with the phone in her hands and found his number as quickly as she could. Just as she was going to ring the pain got stronger. As she leaned forwards she nearly dropped the phone.

"Doctor, call him! Quickly!" She shouted as she breathed through the pain. In a state of blind panic the doctor grabbed the phone and let it ring.

Meanwhile at Coal Hill Danny was marking test papers as he watched over his year 7s doing their class work. His phone was on his desk next to him, he constantly had it out ready to receive the call from Clara. Beep beep, beep beep. It rang and he jumped up from his chair.

"Okay continue with your work, I'll be back in a second." He paced out of the room and into the staff room to answer the call.

"Clara! Are you okay!?"

"Umm hello Danny?" Danny frowned, he recognised the familiar Scottish voice. What was the doctor doing there?

"Hello doctor? What's going on? Is she okay!?" He could hear a lot of noise in the background that sounded like Clara.

"I don't know... I mean no she's not... She's shouting and says it hurts?" Danny could hear Clara shouting and suddenly her troubled voice came onto the end of the line.

"Danny! You need to come now, it's the baby! Danny please come quickly, Danny it hurts, come quicklyyyy!" His eyes opened wide and he began to panic.

"Okay, okay calm down sweetie. Don't worry, I'll be there as soon as I can, just breathe, I love you." He hung up and sprinted to another class room. He burst into Adrian's class, he was a good friend of theirs now and Danny knew that he could tell him.

"Woah slow down! What's wrong!?"

"Quick, I need you to take my class! Clara's gone into labour! I need to get to her now." He was walking backwards and forwards on the spot whilst getting more and more flustered.

"Okay calm down, don't worry we've got it covered here! Go on. Go and be a dad." Adrian winked at Danny and hit him on the arm with encouragement. A smile grew on his face as he left the class. Danny legged it to his coat and disappeared off to his car.

When he approached the flat door all he could hear was noise. He began to jog as the panic settled in again. He unlocked the door and sprinted to the living room to comfort Clara.

"Okay, okay, I'm here now, your okay." He reassured her as he rubbed her back up and down like the midwife had told him to do. The doctor stared at them, still in shock from what was going on. He really wasn't tuned into human life, aliens are much simpler, he though to himself.

"Danny, we need to go now! Right now!" She seethed through the pain again and Danny knew she was serious. He ran to get her bag and chucked it in the car. Then he ran back to Clara and helped her up. She rested on his arms and they slowly made it to the car.

"Umm I'll just, I'll just head off..." The doctor backed away unnoticed in the chaos. The whiring and whistling of the TARDIS disappeared just as quickly as it had arrived a few hours before.

They arrived at the hospital and Clara was rushed into a wheelchair. They were taken into a peaceful side room where everything was ready for them. A few doctors came in to sort out the equipment and to help Clara onto the bed. Then Clara's midwife joined them and talked them through the procedures, not that Clara was listening mind. She was rather... Preoccupied. The room cleared and Danny and Clara were left alone for a second.

"Danny I can't do this... It hurts too much. What if something goes wrong? What if things don't go to plan? What if-" Clara began to panic again.

"Look everything is going to be fine! I know you're scared but things are under control. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere until we have a beautiful baby in our arms. Just try to breathe and every thing will be just fine." Clara smiled and kissed Danny gently, she knew he would never leave her on her own. He was there for the long haul.

An hour later the room was tense and full of anticipation. Clara was really feeling the pressure now and wasn't taking it well... Danny's hand was practically falling off from lack of blood as she was holding it so tight, the doctor was getting frustrated as Clara was almost constantly swearing at him to relieve the pain and the midwife was running out of advice to give her. However, they were one step closer to having a baby which was the brighter side of the situation.

A further hour later things started to get serious. It was time. Clara bared down and pushed on the requests from the doctor. A few more painful minutes flew by and Clara felt a release. The room went quiet and suddenly a babies cry broke through the silence. Clara and Danny sighed in relief as the noise they had been waiting for had surfaced. Seconds later Danny was down at the end of the bed and holding a tiny baby girl, their tiny baby girl. His smile was like nothing Clara had ever seen before. It was full of so many emotions; admiration, relief, care but most of all it was filled with love. Danny walked to the top end of the bed and handed Clara their beautiful daughter. The tears fell down both of their cheeks and they just sat and stared in adoration. This moment would never happen again, the birth of their first child would never be forgotten. Not ever. Both of them just stared in awe at what had just happened.

Soon after, Danny and Clara were left alone again.

"She's beautiful. She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen..." Exclaimed Danny, he still couldn't believe his eyes. To her surprise, Clara suddenly began to cry.

"Hey, what's wrong!?"

"Look what we've just done... Look what we've got. She's more beautiful than I could ever have imagined. I can't believe she's ours..." She turned to look at Danny and he kissed her gently whilst rubbing the newborns head.

"I know, thank you. Thank you for giving me this beautiful little girl. I don't know what to say..." They both stared in awe again at the little girl wriggling and gurgling in her sleep.

"What are we going to call her? I hadn't even thought about it." Sighed Clara.

"Actually I've been thinking about that... Why don't we call her Ellie? After your mother?" Clara welled up again and kissed him deeply.

"Oh my god Danny that's perfect! Ellie Pink. I love it, a perfect name for a perfect little girl."

"And hopefully a perfect little family! Chapter one yeah? A new beginning for us all."

"Yeah chapter one." Clara smiled and kissed him once more. Maybe the perfect family that Clara had always dreamed of might just come true after all...

**Woah! It turns out writing speech for someone in pain is really hard... I'm happy with how it turned out, I hope you all like it too. Thank you for reading, it means a lot x**


	2. Chapter 2- Meet Ellie

**Hey so here's the next chapter! I don't really have a plan for how many chapters I am going to write... I guess I'll just keep going until I get bored or you guys stop reading. I have plans for other stories which I am trying to develop so yeah, I hope you like it. Ooh and this chapter is set around 4 month after the previous one x**

Meet Ellie

6:30 on the dot. Every morning. Ellie woke up at the same time everyday and it was far to early in Clara's opinion. She had just about got used to the night feeds so waking up at 6:30 on top of those was not always appealing. Clara sighed and began to lift herself out of bed when suddenly Danny sprung up.

"No no no, you stay there, I've got this one." He grinned sweetly at her as she laid back down. He walked over to the cot and picked Ellie up carefully. She wiggled and gurgled at him, slowly waking to open her tiny eyes. She shook her head and began to cry.

"Shhhh, shhhh! It's okay! Daddy's here!" He rocked her back and forth to comfort her crying. Clara watched from the bed. Her heart melted at the sight of Danny and Ellie together. Danny was such a good dad and she knew that he would always be there for her and Ellie. She thought back to the blind panic Danny had got himself into months before and secretly told herself that she knew she was right all along. She knew that Danny would be a good dad, she had no reason to ever doubt him. Danny, however, was not as easy to convince at the time. Clara felt her eyes close as she listened to Danny soothing Ellie. He looked over to see her asleep so took Ellie downstairs to let her rest.

When they got downstairs Danny placed Ellie on her play mat and walked over to make a cup of tea. He kept Ellie in sight in the corner of his eye just in case. Once he had made the tea he walked back to Ellie. She was throwing her legs up and down and waving her arms like she was trying to swim in thin air. Every so often her foot hit the little bells hanging down making them jingle. She seemed to be fascinated with the noise and every time she heard it she stopped moving and stared at them. It amused Danny seeing her little inquisitive face trying to work out the world around her. She was only 4 months old and she was already inquiring. She's going to be like Clara he thought, chuckling to himself. He put down his cup and bent down on to his knees. He crawled towards Ellie and gently moved her over so that he had space to lay next her on the mat. He held up her favourite little toy and waved it above her head. Her limbs stopped moving again and she stared at it with her inquisitive eyes.

"You're quite the explorer aren't you, eh?" Danny spoke to her softly while she watched the toy waving in the air.

Once again, just like every morning, Danny lost track of time and was still playing happily with Ellie an hour later. Clara strolled down the stairs and was about to talk to Danny when she stopped herself; she looked over and saw him on the play mat gently tickling a very smiley Ellie. She stood on the bottom step and watched them playing. It was beautiful. When Danny was with Ellie he adapted to her. He showed a side of himself that Clara had never witnessed before. She liked it, it was loving yet caring. He showed devotion. Devotion to the beautiful little girl gurgling on the floor beside him. It warmed Clara's heart to know that her daughter was going to have so much care.

"Morning! You two look like you're having fun!" She walked over to the play mat and laid on the opposite side of Ellie so that she was squished between them. Danny leant over and kissed her. Just at that moment Ellie kicked her foot up, hitting Clara in the chin.

"Ouch! That hurt missus!" Clara put on her cooing voice as she ticked Ellie's tummy. They both laughed at the coincidental timing.

"Did you sleep well then?"

"Yeah, thank you for taking her this morning. That extra few hours was much needed. I was exhausted." Danny reached over to fiddle with Clara's hair.

"I know you were, I thought that you would benefit from it. Anyway, me and this cheeky monkey have been just fine! Haven't we, eh?" He directed the question at Ellie and she seemed to gurgle in agreement.

"She's so funny... She's going to be like you I think. Pretty faced and always up for a laugh but sure can pack a punch when something doesn't go her way. She's going to have your fiery-ness I think." Clara laughed.

"Oh so my 'fiery-ness' is a good thing then!? You're one of the only people to think that..."

"Well no matter what everyone else says, I think it's a good quality to have." They both chuckled and, again, Ellie showed her appreciation by releasing a little giggle. They continued to chat amongst themselves when there was a knock at the door.

Danny jumped up to get it, leaving Clara on the floor with Ellie. As he walked towards the door there was another knock.

"Alright! I'm on my way!" He pulled open the door and saw a confused looking Scotsman wavering on the front step.

"Hello. Didn't expect to see you here." Danny didn't know how to feel. The Doctor wasn't exactly his favourite person in the world but he had to put up with him as he was Clara's best friend. He couldn't take that away from her, she would never forgive him.

"Come in then?" Danny ushered the doctor in. As he cautiously walked in the door Clara picked up Ellie and walked over, just as surprised to see him as Danny was.

"You're here! You actually came to see me? What are you doing here?" Clara questioned him to get the answers she greatly needed.

"Well I thought about what you said about me not coming to visit and not seeing you for a long time so I decided it was a good idea to come. I... I, umm, didn't have anything else planned either." The Doctor began to do his 'inspecting the room' thing again. Clara had to keep changing direction to speak to him comfortably.

"Ahh okay so you didn't come to see me because you wanted to? You just came because you had nothing else planned so you thought you would drop by. Right then." Clara sighed in disappointment. She felt really let down but she didn't know why. She found it really hard to stop travelling with the Doctor as often but in the end she had to put Danny first. The Doctor had promised to come and see her after they stopped travelling as much but he never seemed to have the time to. It upset her, made her angry, even. She couldn't get it across to him that people's feelings matter and that he should be nicer. Of course he didn't really understand the concept so she gave up the idea and just put up with it for ease.

"Well that too but... I don't know... I thought that you didn't want to see me? Now that you have Danny and... And a small Danny to keep you company?" He always had a way with words, didn't he? It made Danny laugh to see how untuned with the world he actually was. Clara, however, was used to it.

"Of course I want to see you! Just because we don't travel anymore it doesn't mean that we can't still see each other, right?" Clara wanted to make a point without trying to sound too forceful.

"Yeah sure... So how's everything going then?" The Doctor quickly changed the subject.

"Good! Everything and everyone is fine. Stay for a bit if you like? I mean if Danny doesn't mind?" She looked over at Danny who nodded and agreed.

"Mmhum, I'll just go and put the kettle on then?" He headed slowly out of the room.

"Yeah thank you." Clara gave him a reassuring smile to show that she appreciated it. "Come on, sit down." They walked over to the sofa and the Doctor got increasingly awkward again. It was just like déjà vu of the day when Clara had gone into labour. They were such good friends yet they found it awkward to sit and have a normal conversation. It was different when they were being chased by aliens or flying through space. There was a different atmosphere. Clara didn't feel shy she just felt hesitant. The Doctor, however, felt awkward and uncomfortable. He had thought about going to see Clara for a long time but he just had never built up the courage to do it. She had Danny now. Their relationship changed the dynamic of the Doctor and Clara's friendship. It changed the level of trust between them. Things were different now and neither the Doctor nor Clara knew how to comprehend that.

"So I see everything went okay then?" The Doctor observed the tiny little girl in Clara's arms that had appeared since last time they had seen each other.

"Yeah it did, it all turned out okay in the end. And now we have this little one!" Clara turned Ellie around in her arms so that she was facing her. She cooed over her and a smile appeared on both of their faces. "This is Ellie. Do you want to hold her?" She didn't wait for a reply. She handed Ellie over before the Doctor could change his mind or make up an excuse. She placed her in his arms making sure that he was holding her safely. Once they both looked comfortable Clara momentarily went to check on Danny who appeared to be staying out of the way in the kitchen. As she walked out the Doctor did something completely unexpected. He started to talk softly to Ellie who was curled up happily in his arms. Clara stayed by the door silently watching him whisper.

"Hello Ellie! Aww you're a beautiful little girl aren't you! You look just like your mum. Can I tell you something? You have the most amazing parents and they are going to take such good care of you. Your mummy might get a bit stressed out sometimes but that's only because she loves you very, very much!" Ellie gurgled and the doctor seemed to reply to the noise. Oh, of course he can speak baby, Clara said to herself. She kept forgetting that. "And as for your daddy... Me and him didn't exactly see eye to eye when we first met but now that I know him I think he's okay. Ay, when you get older he can teach you PE! And your mummy can teach you words and stuff. You're going to have a great time. I think you are going to be very, very happy little girl!" The Doctors face saddened as he said the last line. Clara saw it and it made her think. She really knew nothing about his life back on Gallifrey. She didn't even know if he had a family. Maybe that was why he's so good with Ellie? Maybe he did have a family and that's why he can't understand the idea of Clara having a family of her own? Questions flew around her head as she wondered about his past. Clara had asked him about it but she had never got much of a reply. There are some things that we will never know, she thought to herself.

Danny walked out of the kitchen to see Clara staring into the living room. It shocked him as he wasn't expecting to see her there.

"Hey, what are yo-" Clara stopped him in mid sentence.

"Shhh look! He's taken to her so well... I'm so glad. I was worried what he would think or react like when he met her." Danny rubbed her on the shoulder as they watched the Doctor and Ellie bond with one and other.

A few hours later, after they had had tea, biscuits and a good chat it was time for the Doctor to go. Clara passed Ellie to Danny and walked towards the door.

"Come back soon yeah? You're always welcome and it's nice to see you. I, I miss you when you're not around as much..." Clara suddenly realised how much the Doctor meant to her. Not seeing him for a while had given her time to think. It gave her time to contemplate what she needed in her life. It made her realise what she had given up.

"I'll try to." Clara gave him a stern look. "Okay, I promise!"

"Oh and Doctor, do one more thing for me? Don't be alone. Don't let yourself be alone, please. No one deserves that. Not even you." He turned away without reacting to what Clara had said and walked towards the TARDIS. Clara watched it materialise and then went back inside.

After Ellie was asleep Clara and Danny sat in front of the tv with a glass of wine. Clara's head rested on Danny's shoulder whilst his hand gently played with her hair. After a while Clara realised that she wasn't actually watching the tv at all, she was thinking.

"Danny, what did you think when the Doctor turned up today? Tell me honestly." She sat up to see Danny's face clearly.

"Honestly, I felt disappointed. Not at the fact that he had turned up out of the blue, I felt disappointed for you. I knew that you would be happy to see him and that it would be nice for you to catch up but all I could see was the pain that he had left you before. Seeing his face again reminded me of how you used to be, how we used to be and how our relationship was before I knew about him. It reminded me of the first time I met him and how he hated me so much. Then I thought about the time he let you down and how upset you were. All of the memories I have of him are negative and when he hadn't been around for a while I guess I thought they would go away. There's something about our personalities that don't click and we don't see eye to eye. I don't completely trust him. I mean I don't trust him with your life, or Ellie's for that matter. But of course I knew that you would want to see him so I said nothing." Danny looked down so that he couldn't see Clara's reaction. He wasn't sure he wanted to. What he had just said was something that he had been meaning to say for a while. He had waited for the right moment to say it.

"I knew there was something. I knew you didn't really want to see him, I could tell by your face and the way you hid in the kitchen for most of the time... Look, he doesn't hate you and he never did. He just finds it hard to accept the fact that I'm moving on with my life and I don't rely on him anymore. I have you and Ellie, I have a family, he finds it hard to understand that. Also I know that the times you have met him haven't exactly been positive... But we can change that! He's not always that bad. He can be hard work but he means well. You could get to know him better and-" Danny interrupted her. Clara realised she was falling back into her addiction of travelling with the Doctor. She was trying to talk Danny back into it almost subconsciously.

"Look I understand. He's your friend and you know him better than I do. I don't need proof that he's a good person. I don't need to get to know him. Let's just say that we're never going to be bezzie mates but I'm okay with that. I'm sure he is too. I just need to know that you are safe and that you are being treated as you deserve. I don't need to see time and space and be best friends with an alien Scotsman, I've got everything I need and want in front of me right now. If you want that life as well as the one we have together then fine, I'll support you but I just need to know that you are okay doing both. He's welcome to come and visit any time as long as he doesn't make the mistake of getting on the wrong side of me." Danny had got the general gist of the conversation. She couldn't give him up and he knew that. Clara looked him in the eyes. She didn't know what to say. She had expected him to be angry. Angry at the fact that the Doctor turned up out of nowhere but instead he was quite understanding.

"Okay. I want you to know one thing though. My life with the Doctor will never ever get in the way of our lives again. I won't let it. You deserve a life that is as perfect as possible and I'm determined to give it to you." Clara leaned in to kiss Danny. Clara felt like she had hit some closure with her double life. She felt like she had spoken about it and had worked out what she wanted. Whether that is the right thing to do she will never know. She had made a decision that would work best for her, she didn't know how Danny would feel about it. That was a hurdle to overcome another day...

**So I wanted to leave the final bit on a cliffhanger as I'll explain more about it thought the story. I would be grateful if you could give it a review. I love hearing feedback. Hopefully then I will be able to add things that you like to the upcoming chapters. Thank you x **


	3. Chapter 3- Family Reunions

**Hey so here's the next chapter, it's set around 4 months after the last one. It's kind of more of an exploration of Clara's family and life outside her new family. I haven't put in anything about Clara's decision with the Doctor as I think it will fit in better later on. Thank you to everyone that has read so far. It means a lot. I hope you enjoy it! :) x**

Family Reunions:

It was that time again. Time to brave Linda... After Clara and Danny had got Ellie ready and had collected the stuff they needed for the day they set off for Clara's dads house. It was her dads 50th so they were having a family gathering to celebrate. Clara hadn't exactly jumped at the idea of going but was soon persuaded by Danny. Her run in with Linda had put both of them off the idea but Linda had managed to organise a surprise party from the wreckage. It was the first time Clara and Linda would have seen each other since the argument but Clara was determined to put it behind them both and put up with the situation. After all it was her dads 50th, she had to be there really. Linda and her weren't exactly best of friends but for the sake of the occasion Clara was willing to compromise.

2 months earlier:

Clara was watching tv whilst rocking Ellie when there was a knock at the door. She walked over and was disappointed at who she saw. Linda was stood outside looking as unhappy as Clara felt.

"Can I come in?" Linda turned her nose up as though it was too much effort to sound more polite. Clara's blood began to boil, Linda hadn't even been inside yet and they were already sick of the sight of each other.

"Yes of course." Clara seethed through her teeth and put up her middle finger to Linda's back as she walked in. Whoops, you didn't see that Ellie! She said to herself.

"Okay I know that I'm not welcome here. Believe me, I didn't want to come either. I thought you had a right to be part of your dads 50th birthday. It's in 2 months time and we need to do something for it." Right then, get straight to the point why don't you! Linda's rude attitude really got under Clara's skin. She hated it. Although Clara saw Linda's bluntness as rude, she thought again and decided that she was glad of it. The quicker she got to the point, the quicker she could leave. Clara was surprised that what Linda had to say actually had some relevance to her. Normally she came round with the most pathetic ideas that Clara always disagreed with.

"Yeah we need to do something. Have you asked him about it? What does he want to do?" Clara questioned her, trying to get to the root of the reason she decided to ask her instead of her dad.

"Well no I haven't asked him. If I had then I wouldn't be here." Linda snapped back as though what Clara had said was stupid. She seemed really agitated today. Even more than usual.

"Alright! I was just asking! So why have you come to ask me? It's not like you listen to me anyway?" Clara rolled her eyes.

"Well he's your dad... Even though you seem to forget that." Clara's head shot up.

"What? What do you mean 'even though you seem to forget'?"

"You know what I mean! Since you got your perfect little family you haven't spent one minute with him and I'm left to pick up the pieces!" Oh Linda. Trust her to come up with one of her stupid sob stories. It made Clara so angry, all Linda ever did was made things worse and more twisted than they already were.

"That's not true! I have never pushed him out, not even for one second! It's you! You putting him off coming to see me and spending time with Ellie!" That felt good, Clara said to herself. She had waited so long to rip Linda's head off, it was a long time coming.

"Oh yeah of course it's my fault! You know what, I've had enough of this! Since I've been with your father all I've done is tried to make things better and to help piece this family back together. It's all me! All the time! All I ever get from you is anger and hatred. Your daughter has a bad influence to grow up around." Clara put Ellie in her play cot as she felt her anger levels rise. She wasn't going to let anyone get away with criticising Ellie.

"Oh really! All you! You have done nothing but ruin this family! You push my dad away from me and you manipulate the truth! So don't you dare say that I'm a bad influence on Ellie, you need to take a look at yourself!" Linda looked disgusted. Her eyes looked angry, angrier than Clara had ever seen them. It was slightly threatening. Linda took a step forwards and continued to rage.

"I'll say what I want thank you! I'm the best thing that has happened to this family since your mum died! You're so ungrateful that you can't see it!" Tears welled up in Clara's eyes. No one had the right to bring up her mum.

"Don't you dare bring my mum into this! Everything that has happened is your fault and you know it." Ellie started to cry as the noise in the room had rapidly risen. "Oh now look what you've done! You've upset her again! No wonder she doesn't like you." She walked over and picked Ellie up to soothe her.

"Doesn't like me!? She's a 10 month old baby! How do you know if she likes me or not!? You know what? I actually feel sorry for her. She deserves a mother who is less of a brat!" Clara was speechless. How low could one person go? All she ever did was hurled insults towards people.

"Get out! Get out of my house! You're a spiteful cow and my dad deserves better!" Linda looked at her in utter frustration. She picked up her bag and stormed out of the door, slamming it behind her in rage. Clara screamed in anger and frustration. She couldn't understand why Linda was always there, ruining everything that ever happened.

A few minutes later Danny got home from work. He could see that something was wrong as soon as he walked in. Clara told him everything and he listened patiently. He didn't need to ask why they went for each other. He knew all about it. He knew about their history and the way Linda tried to act as Clara's mum after she'd lost her. How she always intruded into Clara and her dads lives. He wasn't even surprised when Clara told him what they said to each other. Things had been brewing for a while now, something had to give.

"Are you okay? You seem quite shaken up?" He rubbed Clara on the shoulders trying to work out what she was thinking.

"Yeah, just a bit shocked that's all. I didn't expect Linda to explode like that. It scared me. I can't stop thinking that I'm letting my dad down. He loves her and I respect that but he doesn't understand that we don't get on. He tries to change my opinion of her and make me like her but it makes no difference. Every time he talks to me about Linda he can tell that I disagree with him and I can tell that it hurts him. It upsets him that I can't see what he sees. And he thinks that I'm the only problem because he doesn't know what Linda is like around me. I want to tell him that I'm sorry for not liking her but I can't bring myself to do it. And I don't know, I just-" Danny stopped her as he could see she was getting stressed.

"Look, it's not your fault that you and Linda don't get on. I guess your personalities just... clash. She has tried to fill a big hole in your life and has ended up digging it deeper. It hasn't helped anything but I don't think telling your dad is the right thing to do. He doesn't dislike you. He loves you anyway, no matter what you think of Linda. Maybe you should be the bigger person and try to accept her for who she is. I know the thought of her makes you cringe but showing her that you can move on without her is probably a good thing. Don't give her the spark that she wants." Clara smiled in admiration at Danny. How did he always have an answer to everything? She didn't know what to say but she knew that what he had said had had a lasting effect on her. Maybe it was time she acted as the bigger person. She couldn't let Linda rule her life anymore.

Present:

When they arrived at her dads house Ellie began to cry.

"Oh look there's a sign that this is a bad idea! Even Ellie can sense Linda..." Clara made what she said sound like a joke but deep down she was seriously having second thoughts about the party.

"Umm I think that was a coincidence but nice try at making an excuse! Come on, the quicker we get inside, the quicker we can leave. Yeah?" Nothing was going to get past Danny. He was getting Clara inside whatever it took.

"Okay then let's go." Clara sighed and got out of the car. They knocked on the door and a very smiley Dave answered. He had a birthday badge on and was grinning from ear to ear. Clara had to laugh at her dad.

"Really dad!? How old are you?" They all laughed as Dave ushered them inside. They went through to the living room to see all of the family and friends chatting around the table. After everyone was welcomed, they gave Dave the presents and did the birthday cake.

"Hey see? It's fine, Linda hasn't even spoken to you! I told you it would be okay." Danny knew he was right all along.

"Yeah okay you were right... It has actually gone really smoothly. I just need another hour or so without Linda saying a thing and I'll be fine." She sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. As it got later many of the family and friends left. After a while it was just Clara, Danny, Ellie, Dave and Linda left. Danny was chatting happily with Dave about motorbikes or something. Typical men eh? Clara had just put Ellie down to sleep when Linda marched over to her. She took a deep breath and braced herself. She knew she was going to have to face Linda at some point but was she ready to do it now? She didn't really know.

"You happy then? Happy that I arranged everything for today and you had no input at all?" She sounded ignorant, Clara hadn't even said anything yet and she was already getting her knickers in a twist.

"Well to be fair, you didn't really tell me what you were going to do or ask me for my input? So yes, it went well." Linda shook her head and placed her hands on her hips.

"Oh so you're just going to leave it at that then? Nothing else said? Once again I've done all the work."

"Oh not this again? I'm here aren't I? You told me to include my dad, let him see Ellie? Now I have so what's your problem? Just let it go."

"I'm not just going to let it go!? Let everything play into your hands again. You don't ever respect me and you think that coming to see your dad once will make everything better!" Linda's voice raised making Danny and Dave look over.

"Oh just drop it Linda!? Fine I don't respect you and we don't get along. Just leave it at that? Stop making things worse than they actually are."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea, can't you just leave it and move on?" Danny stepped in to agree with Clara.

"Oh yeah you would say that wouldn't you!? Standing up for your girlfriend and all that. As far as I can see it, you don't get a say in this. You've only been here for half of the things that have gone so you don't deserve to say anything." Linda was getting more and more angry and everyone was taken aback at how she was reacting. Even Dave looked concerned.

"Hey don't talk to him like that! He's only trying to make you see sense. You're the one that need to calm down, not him." Linda turned her nose up at the fact that everyone was against her. Even Dave thought that she was over reacting. They all sat in silence for a while, no one really knowing how to break the ice. Suddenly Ellie began to wriggle in her car seat. Her little eyes opened and she began to cry. Danny went to pick her up and rock her back to sleep when Linda piped up again.

"Oh can someone shut that baby up!?" Dave gave her a disappointed look.

"That wasn't necessary was it? She's only a baby, she can't help it." Dave finally stood up to Linda.

"Oh right so now I don't even get some peace and quiet?" Everyone looked at her in disgust.

"Linda, what is wrong with you today? Why are you being so rude? I don't understand what the problem is." He leaned into her a bit more as though he didn't want Clara to hear clearly. "I know that you don't get along with Clara but she's my daughter and Ellie is my granddaughter. You're just going to have to put up with that whether you like it or not." Linda stood up and marched out of the room. Danny gave Clara a look which made them both chuckle.

"Umm sorry love but would you mind making a move?" Dave hinted at Clara and Danny leaving. "It's not that I want you to go but I just think I should talk to Linda? I need to find out-" Clara interrupted him to stop his panicking.

"Dad it's fine, we'll go. It's no problem, I'll call you soon anyway and we can come round again. Or maybe you can come to ours?"

"Yeah of course, that will be nice." He ushered them to the door where they said their goodbyes and left.

When they got home Danny grabbed Clara a glass of wine and they sat down in front of the tv.

"Well that wasn't too bad, was it?"

"What? Apart from my argument with Linda, the awkwardness towards the end and my dad having to tell us to leave? Yeah it was fine!" Clara did an impression of Danny's voice which made them both laugh. He put his arm around her and she rested her head on his chest.

"Okay it was pretty bad but I think it could have gone worse?! At least no one ended up getting a cake to the face..." Clara laughed.

"Ooh who would have got caked? Mmm, let me think!... Linda! Without a doubt! And it would have been me throwing it." They both laughed as they stared at the tv playing in the background.

"Oh the joys of family, eh!"

"We love them really, however much we pretend not to." Danny sighed and put his feet up on the footstool.

"That, Clara Oswald, is very true." Clara snuggled back into his chest to make herself comfortable. She began thinking to herself. Who needs Linda? Did it really matter if she hated her? At end of the day she had everything that she wanted around her and she didn't need anything else. Anyway, hate is too strong an emotion to waste on someone that you don't like...

**I hope you liked it! I don't really know where the 'Linda hatred' came from but it looks like it happened anyway ;) Also I just had to put Clara's quote from the Mummy on the Orient Express at the end! It seemed to fit in perfectly. The next chapter shouldn't be too long away, I already have some ideas. Thank you for reading, please review!x**


	4. Chapter 4- Black Out

**Here it is! Sorry it took a bit longer than usual, I've had so much school work to do this week so I haven't really had time to write. I still have ideas for this fic but I'd be grateful if you could review it with some requests? So that I can write more things that you like as well, thank you. I hope you enjoy it x**

Black out:

Clara stirred awake as usual but was surprised to see a very smiley Ellie crawl over her face. Ellie wriggled and giggled as she lay on top of her trying to get away from Danny ticking her.

"Good morning to you too!" Clara laughed and joined in with the tickling. Danny lifted Ellie off of Clara and swung her around the room making plane noises. Ellie put her hands out and pretended to fly.

"Down daddy! Down!" He swung her downwards and deepened the noises he made as he placed her back on the floor. She ran off to the other side of the room to play with her toy car, her favourite car at the moment.

"How long have you been up? You should have woken me!" Danny walked back to bed and laid back down on his side. He kissed Clara on the forehead and frowned.

"Nah we've only been up for 20 minutes, she slept in for once!" Clara laughed but then the smile on her face resided more quickly than usual.

"Are you feeling okay? Your head feels quite hot?" He felt her forehead again just to check his observation.

"Yeah I'm fine, just got a bit of a headache that's all. I'll be fine." She reached for Danny's hand and gently kissed it before getting up and out of bed.

Danny made them both a cup of tea and they sat down on the sofa. Ellie was running backwards and forwards as 1 year olds do. Every time she took a slightly different route and always seemed to find something new to look at. It was fascinating to watch her learning about the things around her. Danny always said that she was going to be so much like Clara when she grows up.

"Do you want some breakfast?" Danny got up and slowly walked out of the room with his tea cup.

"Umm... No thanks, I'm not really hungry, I'll have some a bit later." Danny shrugged and went to make his own. It was odd that Clara didn't want breakfast but he thought nothing of it anyway.

A while later they were still sat on the sofa watching Ellie play around. Clara was unusually quiet; she didn't have her normal rosy cheeks either. She leaned forwards to rest her elbows on her knees. She took a deep breath and sighed. Something wasn't right.

"Are you okay?" He spoke gently to her as he rubbed up and down her back as it seemed to be soothing her.

"I don't know?" She paused, allowing Danny to chip in.

"You don't know?" He giggled at her answer and she slightly giggled back.

"I mean I don't feel right, I feel weird..." She looked just as confused as Danny was.

"What? Do you feel ill? Do you feel sick? Or headachy? Faint?" He gave her some options to help her decide.

"Umm my head really hurts and, and I feel a little bit faint but not too much." She leant back to see Danny's face looking increasingly worried. She dug her head into his chest and he hugged her softly. "It's probably nothing, I'm really tired, it's probably just exhaustion." Danny felt her head once more checking for any change.

"Yeah maybe... We'll keep an eye on you anyway. Go back to bed for a bit maybe? Get some sleep while you can, we've got nothing planned for today anyway." He gently caressed her head as she relaxed in his arms.

"Yeah I might do actually, maybe I just need some sleep." She got up using the sofa as support. Danny shot up and helped her stand upright. He took her up to bed and she was asleep almost instantly. Ellie was shouting random words (well if you could call them words, she had become much more vocal in the last few months but the sounds were mainly just noises) from the bottom of the stairs.

"Shhh! Mummy's asleep! C'mon!"

"Ellie shhhh!" She ran away from Danny and into the living room, he giggled at her repeating what he was saying. In the last few weeks she had grown up a lot. She had started to speak more, move more and be a lot more cheeky. Clara had had a lot of marking to do lately with year 12 coursework so Danny had more time with her. He had been teaching her how to be cheeky with her mum. It all proved to be really funny. Not that Clara approved of course...

A few hours later Clara came back downstairs. She looked less perky than before; in fact she looked really pale. Her naturally flushed cheeks and her fiery personality were absent and she looked really sick. She stumbled slightly as she walked towards the kitchen. She desperately hoped that Danny hadn't seen so that he didn't make a fuss over her. She didn't want a fuss no matter how ill she was feeling. To her disappointment he had noticed, he rushed over to help her. She leant on his arm, using him to keep her upright. Her head was spinning and she couldn't focus on anything. Her heart was beating faster and faster every second as she began to panic. It felt like there was a drum banging in her head and she was spinning around the room at the same time. Danny became a blur and Ellie just a faint murmur in the background.

"Danny... Danny." She frantically called his name sounding more and more breathless. He moved round to the front of her so that he could see her face.

"Yeah? I'm here, it's okay, look I'm here." Suddenly the room closed in and everything went black.

She stumbled again before losing all of her balance. Danny managed to catch her before she fell and hurt herself.

"Clara! Clara? Can you hear me!? Clara speak to me honey?" He caressed her face to try and get a reaction from her. She laid there motionless, completely blacked out. "Oh my god, Clara please, wake up!" He began to panic as he reached for his phone. He spoke shakily whilst supporting Clara's head.

"Quick I need an ambulance, it's my girlfriend, she's passed out, I don't know what to do. Please come quickly! She's breathing but she's not moving. I don't know what's wrong just please hurry up, I can't loose her." He kissed her forehead and tried to calm himself down. He had never been this worried in his whole life, he just wanted her to be okay.

When the doorbell rang Danny ran to it as fast as he could.

"Quick! She's this way, please help her, please."

"Do you know why she passed out sir?" Danny put his hands on his forehead and rubbed his face not responding to what had been asked. "Sir?"

"Sorry umm... she felt faint and said that she had a bad headache, that's all I know. She came downstairs from having a nap and she blacked out in my arms. Then I called you."

"Okay we will get her in the ambulance and take her to hospital, would you like to come with us?" The paramedics were calm and collected, the complete opposite of Danny. They decisively asked him questions whilst putting Clara on a stretcher.

"Ahh, umm yes is that okay?"

"Yes that's fine sir, just follow us and we will get you there as quickly as possible."

"Hang on, my daughter, I need to get her." He began to panic again as he ran into the living room.

"Yes that's fine sir, as quickly as you can." He ran and picked up Ellie who began to grizzle and cry at her play time being disturbed.

"Come on Ellie! We've just got to go with your mummy and check that she is okay, then we can come home and play even more! Yeah?" He kissed her on the head and ran out of the door. It was almost as though he was reassuring himself more than he was Ellie.

When they arrived at the hospital they rushed Clara into a room where they checked her breathing and took her for a scan. Danny ran into a corridor in which he could see her through a window. He hugged Ellie tighter, seeking comfort. Why was this happening? What had caused this? Why won't she just wake up? He worked himself up again and started to panic.

"Excuse me! My girlfriend" He said pointing towards the room. "What are they doing? What's happening? Why won't she wake up?"

"Okay sir calm down, she will be fine, trust me, she's in safe hands. Come and sit in the family waiting room and we will keep you updated. The best thing you can do is wait patiently. Is there anyone else you might want to call and ask to come here?" The nurse ushered him towards the small room to the left of them.

"Um yeah, yeah there is, thank you." He stuttered, trying to form a sentence that actually made sense.

The room was painted in bright colours with rainbows and animals all over it. This seemed to please Ellie greatly as she ran inside squealing at the pictures. There were a few sofas, a water fountain and a pile of toys in the corner. Danny passed her some building blocks to keep her occupied while he got himself together. He called Dave and told him to come quickly. When he arrived he explained everything to him, how Clara had been feeling ill and how she suddenly collapsed.

"She's in the room just down the corridor. I don't know if she's awake yet. I don't even know if she's okay, I need to know that she's okay." He buried his head in his hands again and sighed. The whole situation had completely drained him. He didn't know what to think, or what to feel for that matter. Dave patted him on the back to reassure him. He was keeping remarkably calm under the circumstances.

"Look I'm just as worried as you and I need to know that she's okay as well but panicking isn't going to help anything. You getting yourself more worked up than you need to isn't going to help Clara. When she wakes up, which she will, everything is going to be okay. Maybe no news is good news?"

"Yeah... Your right. She will be fine." Now he began to convince himself that everything was going to be okay. It wasn't really helping him calm down but it stopped him from thinking the worst.

A while later a doctor walked into the room. Danny and Dave both shot up from the sofas to hear the news. The doctors face was blank, he showed no emotion. It agitated Danny as he wanted to find out the news as quickly as possible and his face wasn't giving anything away.

"How is she!? Is she awake!?"

"Yes, well, she's resting. We have managed to stabilise her and she's on the road to recovery." Danny let out a sigh of relief. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

"Great! That's good right!? Can we see her?" The doctors face gained expression for the first time since he had entered the room.

"Yes you may, she's sleeping but you can go in. But first, I have a few questions to ask. Just for our details and her safety."

"Okay, what ever you need." Said Dave trying not to sound too relieved.

"Was she feeling okay earlier on today or yesterday?"

"Umm, she was fine yesterday but this morning she said that she had a really bad headache and that she felt faint. She went upstairs around 11 to have a nap thinking that she was just exhausted but when she got down she felt more faint and... that's why we're here now." The doctor finished taking notes and then looked up and smiled.

"Okay that will be all, thank you." He began to get up when Dave stopped him.

"Is that related to what you think happened? Is that why she fainted?"

"We have reason to believe so. It seems like she had a really bad migraine to which her body reacted badly to. This would have caused her to pass out. It's rare but it does happen in some cases such as this one. Has she been under a lot of stress lately? With work or anything?"

"Yeah she's been doing a lot recently." Danny thought to himself, why didn't he tell her to come to bed earlier or limit down the work load? That could have stopped this from happening.

"Ahh okay so it is likely that stress and exhaustion mixed with a migraine just proved to be too much for her body. I suggest that she stays in for the rest of the day, then you take her home and let her rest for a few days, just so that she can make a full recovery." The doctor got up and started to walk out. Dave shook his hand and said thank you and then went over to pick up Ellie.

"Hey you, how you feeling?" Danny poked his head in the door before walking inside. Clara stirred awake and rubbed her eyes to adjust to the brightness of the room. Dave followed in with Ellie in his arms.

"Tired, headachy and... confused. Apart from that I'm fine." They all giggled. Her natural humour had returned along with her rosy cheeks and her fiery personality. Clara's back, thought Danny. "What happened?" Danny moved to lay on the bed next to her so that he could rub her head gently.

"You passed out, do you remember? The doctors said it was a bad migraine mixed with stress and tiredness, nothing that a few restful days can't sort out."

"Oh I remember, I felt reallyyy rough..."

"I know you did, you were really ill Clara." Danny's face dropped as he replayed what had happened in his head. She rubbed his face and spoke to him gently.

"Hey, I know today didn't go well... But I'm fine now, don't worry." He smiled and kissed her on the head. Dave passed over Ellie so that Clara could hold her again. They sat and chatted for a while and then Dave took Ellie home to give them some space. The room was silent for a few minutes and Clara could tell something was up.

"Your quiet? Are you okay?" She turned to see his face clearly.

"When you fainted today I thought I'd lost you. I genuinely thought that I could have lost you. In that split second I panicked and I realised how small and insignificant I would feel without you in my life. It made me realise, more than I already know, how much you mean to me and how much of an impact you have on me... It scared me. I didn't know what to do. In the moment that the doctor said that it was nothing serious I gave the biggest sigh of relief ever and I realised that we were so lucky that it wasn't anything worse... You, basically, saved my life when I met you. I was in a bad place back then. I had almost nothing keeping me going. Before I had the army, the army was my life and I loved it. But when I no longer had that it felt like I had nothing to live for. When I met you, you taught me how to have fun again and how to enjoy what I have. Now I have you and a beautiful daughter. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't have asked me out on that first drink... Or pushed me to start looking at my life more positively... Seeing you so vulnerable today made me think about everything and how I would have gone back to nothing if I had lost you." Clara looked at him, speechless. For the first time in a long while he had opened up to her. She knew that she meant a lot to him but hearing it from his own mouth put it in a different perspective.

"Did you really think that you would get rid of me that easily? I'm here, with you, for the long haul no matter what happens. Danny I love you and I don't know what I would do without you either. Frankly I don't think I would have much to live for. I think we should try to put today behind us and start afresh. After all, passing out on you isn't exactly something that I want to remember..."

"I think that's a good idea. Let's forget about today and start living life like there's no tomorrow."

"That sounds great, our path to being more positive." Clara snugged back down into Danny's toned chest. He placed his arms around her and relaxed for the first time in the day. Life had flashed before both of their eyes but nothing was going to stop them from moving on from it.

**So thank you for reading! It's not my best chapter so far... I guess it's okay but it's not very good writing really. Anyway I hope you enjoyed it! I promise to put more about the Doctor and Clara in the next chapter, that's what chapter 7 is going to be about. Please leave a review! Thank you x**


	5. Chapter 5- I See Wonders

**Here is is! This took a while to write as I didn't really know where to go from chapter 4's cliffhanger. Also it's quite long! Sorry about that, it just sort of happened. That aside, I have managed to write it, I hope you enjoy it x**

I see wonders

Ellie ran forwards and backwards along the kitchen floor singing the Noddy theme tune. Singing was her latest thing, she never stopped singing. It drove Clara insane sometimes but as soon as she went to tell her to stop Ellie would look up at her with her big brown eyes and she couldn't bring herself to say anything. Clara was 'trying' to baking a cake for a friend to say thank you for occasionally looking after Ellie. Baking wasn't proving easy as she wasn't the best baker ever anyway but a one year old high on sugar icing was making the job ten times harder.

"Danny! Danny!" She called through to the other room trying to compete with the noise of football fans cheering loudly on the tv. It was the football final and it took a lot of effort to remove him from the screen. He was completely glued to it. Yesterday he had watched over 6 hours of football and made it clear that he wasn't moving from the sofa. Clara gave into him as she knew she wasn't going to win.

"Yeah?" He called back without moving.

"Can you take Ellie please? She's gone slightly hyper... It's really not helping this cake." He chuckled and jogged in. He grabbed Ellie and flew her through the air past Clara's flour filled face. He gently kissed her on the head and ran back into the living room with Ellie laughing in his arms. A wide smile appeared on Clara's face. Danny knew exactly how to distract Ellie without making her upset, a trick which worked much better with daddy than it did with mummy.

Whilst humming to herself over the bowl of ingredients forming in front of her, she had tuned into the familiar noises around the house. The sound of kitchen utensils clonking together, the birds tweeting just outside the window, the tv cheering with the occasional input from Danny and the giggles of Ellie being tickled. Suddenly another noise appeared. It was still familiar yet not what Clara was expecting. She rubbed her hands on the towel and chucked it on the side, running out to the hallway before Danny could get there. Just as expected the Doctor popped his head out of the door of the TARDIS. He looked confused, like he wasn't expecting to land where he had landed.

"Hello. Umm, you've got a little bit of something there, on your face?" He motioned towards Clara's white face. She laughed and looked towards the mirror on the wall.

"Haha yeah, my attempt at baking a cake..." The Doctor didn't get the joke so had to throw in an intelligent comment.

"Oh, isn't the flour meant to go inside the cake? Or did you just miss? I mean that could happen too..." She just rolled her eyes, pleased to see that he had come back to visit again. They strolled into the living room where Danny looked up from the tv. He didn't look disappointed this time, he looked hesitant. Hesitant about the Doctors intentions.

"Doctor! Wasn't expecting to see you!"

"No well I wasn't expecting to see you either really. Time stream got all confused, you know how it is." Danny looked at him in confusion realising that he really didn't know how it was. He had no idea what a time stream was or what it was like to travel through time and space. It made him laugh slightly at the prospect of how different their lives were. At how they were complete polar opposites yet they still managed to get along and be civil to each other. Well sometimes... They hadn't always seen eye to eye. Ellie, however, was much more pleased to see him! She laughed and rolled off of the sofa to run to the Doctor. She grabbed on to his leg and swung off him. It seemed to take the Doctor by surprise.

"Oh hello... Ellie. Ahh she's not so tiny now I see." He directed the comment at Clara who had to explain to him a while ago that she was meant to be small and would grow in time. She wasn't sure that he really understood the prospect fully.

"So... How are you? What brings you here?" She spoke to break the awkward silence that had began after the Doctor had spoken. He was beginning to look uncomfortable as Ellie was yanking him by his leg across the room towards her toys. Danny got up to pull her off as he could see she was causing him discomfort.

"I was just passing, you know." He looked sheepish. Clara noticed it straight away. It was like he wasn't telling her the whole truth and he was holding something back. She tried to think of what he could be trying to tell her but nothing sprung to mind. He probably didn't feel completely comfortable talking with Danny and Ellie in the room as well as Clara. After all he didn't really know anything about Danny apart from the fact that he was her boyfriend and he 'disrupted their normal travelling routine in the TARDIS'. That was what the Doctor thought of the arrangement anyway...

After a quick catch up and a cup of tea the Doctor did his usual 'I'm about to leave' face but Clara was having none of it.

"Okay I'll just-" Clara interrupted him, knowing what he was going to say next.

"No wait, don't go, there's something on your mind and I'm going to find out what it is." She was stern which surprised him. She was on to him. "Come on, come for a walk, we need to talk." Without saying a word he agreed and began to walk out of the room. As he left Clara turned around and spoke to Danny. "I need him to talk to me... We won't be long, I'll fill you in later, I promise."

"Hey I don't mind, it's nice for you to see him alone every once in a while, go on." He kissed her gently and walked to grab Ellie and continue with their game.

"Oh okay? See you in a bit then." Clara was taken aback by Danny's reaction, he seemed to have decided that it was okay. She couldn't tell if he was saying that everything was okay to be polite or if he actually meant it. It all seemed rather odd, one minute he was telling her to stay away from the Doctor and the next he was basically suggesting that they spent time alone together. Once she had left the room Danny sighed and displayed his feelings. He felt uncomfortable. He didn't quite know why but he wasn't relaxed when he was around the Doctor.

They walked around the local park in silence until Clara plucked up the courage to speak to him again.

"C'mon then, what's up?"

"What? Nothing!? Why, am I acting strangely?" He still seemed surprised at Clara's accusations.

"Yeah... It's like you want to say something to me but you can't bring yourself to say it, like something is holding your mouth shut." He looked at her and sighed as though he had realised that she had clocked onto what he was thinking.

"Okay so there may be something I need to say... But I just don't know how to say it. I don't know-" Clara pulled him to the side to sit down on a bench.

"What ever it is I'll listen and I'll help you with it, you know that don't you?"

"Yes of course... Okay. Do you still want to travel with me?" The question stopped Clara in mid-breath. It flew at her and seemed to stump her. She had no idea how to reply. She knew what she wanted but it wasn't just her anymore. She had Danny and Ellie to think about. In the end, they had to come first. Even though the Doctor was her best friend, Danny and Ellie were her family and they had to have priority. She sat in silence not realising that she was staring at the Doctor.

"Clara? Clara...? Hello?" He waved his hand in front of her face to stop the trance.

"Yeah... Sorry, that's a tough question." He looked at her, slightly offended. She immediately hated herself for her lack of tact. Of course that would upset him, what was she thinking?

"What? You don't want to? Why not?"

"No no no no no, it's not that. Well it's really not that, I mean, I do want to travel with you. Frankly, I miss it. I love my life now but I miss the occasional alien chase..." They both laughed.

"So what's the problem? PE doesn't want you to? He thinks I'm not responsible?"

"Well yeah that is the problem. I can't go back on what he says to me. He's only doubting you because he loves me, he doesn't want me to get hurt, it's nothing to do with him not liking you. I can't ever, and I mean ever, travel behind his back again... That ended badly enough before. He'd never forgive me and I trust him to much to do that to him. On the other hand, I can't travel with him knowing about it because, one, he'd never agree to it and, two, he would constantly worry about me and be scared that I'd come back hurt. It just wouldn't work..." The Doctor tried to hide the sadness in his eyes. The only thing he could think about was the fact that he was losing one of his best friends again. This time it wasn't his fault but he was still going to lose Clara. He didn't want that. His impossible girl had moved on and he didn't know quite how to comprehend that.

"Oh right okay, no I understand, family first and all that. It's fine, that makes sense." He looked away as he spoke and Clara knew how much her not being with him would hurt him. She didn't know if she could do it. Could she really let him down like that? What had he done to deserve that? All he ever did was be kind, he didn't always make it obvious but he was always kind.

They sat in silence. Clara didn't know what to say. What could she say? Sorry that I've let you down? No, that wouldn't make up for it. She couldn't apologise for something that she could have prevented in the first place. The Doctor didn't know what to say either. Yes he was hurt and didn't want to stop travelling with Clara but he understood her decision. She had moved on, she had a family now, she had to think about them instead of him. She had grown up from being an adventurous twenty one year old still living in someone else's house to being an independent young woman with a family. Things were bound to change, he just hadn't expected it to happen this bluntly. He wasn't prepared for a different dynamic.

"So I guess it's the end of an era then?" The Doctor finally broke the silence that had been haunting them for the last 5 minutes. Tears filled Clara's eyes as she saw the hidden sadness in the Doctors face. She felt guilty for causing him to be upset. He had shown her so much and given her so many incredible experiences and she had repaid him with nothing. He didn't deserve to be hurt, not after everything he had been through.

"I don't know... I don't want it to be but it seems like it has to be. I'm so sorry Doctor." He nodded his head and smiled, showing a sigh of disappointment.

"Well, in that case, thank you. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for... For making me see that I don't have to be alone and that having a companion makes me a better person." The emotions bubbled over and Clara jumped forwards to hug him. She cried silently by his ear as he gently placed his arms around her. That was the first time she had heard him say that she actually helped him during her time in the TARDIS. It meant a lot to her.

"I told you, never be alone Doctor, no one should be alone, not even you. And you won't be will you? You'll find someone else and you'll carry on travelling through time and space doing what you do best. Just please, please don't ever be sad. Don't waste your life being sad that I'm no longer with you, I can't let you do that. I'd never forgive myself. You deserve better than that. You deserve more than a life of sadness. You deserve so much more."

They walked back to the house slowly, making the most of the time they had together. When they got back to the TARDIS Clara stood looking at it for a few minutes. Oh how she was going to miss it. The familiar noise, the amazing adventures and the unforgettable times spent with her best friend. Was she making the right decision? She couldn't think straight, too much had happened.

"You'll still visit once in a while right? You'll still come for a chat?"

"Yeah of course, if I'm welcome?"

"Of course you're welcome, you're always welcome, you know that." He turned away to walk into the TARDIS when Clara stopped him again. She felt the tears coming, this time she didn't try to fight them. "Wait Doctor..." He turned to face her, his eyes looking saddened. "Travelling with you made me feel really special... Thank you for making me feel special, Doctor."

"Um, thank you for the very same..." Clara smiled at his reply. After all, emotional wasn't really his thing. It never would be... And with that he disappeared off into the blue box. Clara embraced the whirring noise as it was unlikely she would hear it again for a while. Her eyes filled with tears again and she couldn't hold back her emotions. She fell into a pit of hysterics. It surprised her her emotional she felt. It hasn't occurred to her that the end of an era such as the one with the Doctor would have such an effect on her. What would she do now? She had just pushed her best friend away, ended a once in a lifetime chance of travelling and thrown away her promises to stay with the him, to keep him safe. How many people can say that they had been to space and fought aliens on planets that we never even knew existed? She had seen so many amazing things, things that she would never forget, things that she would live to tell Ellie in stories. Stories which Ellie would pass onto her children and their children after that, generations of stories. What had she done? Why had she made that decision? Her mind went into overdrive as she let herself cry.

Danny got home with Ellie asleep in the buggy. He began to speak as he walked in but soon stopped at the sight of Clara crying on the sofa. He ran over to comfort her.

"Clara? Oh Clara, come here. What happened?" She leant into his shoulder and let him hold her.

"He's gone, I told him, he's gone." She wavered over her words in attempt to help Danny understand the situation.

"What, you've stopped travelling with him? He's never coming back?!" Danny questioned Clara. He didn't really know how to feel. He was happy that Clara was no longer going to travel around, putting herself in danger but he also felt sad. She was in pieces and it was all because of him. He was the one who wasn't happy with her travelling in the first place. He was the one that never took her word for it and proceeded to not trust the Doctor. Part of him wanted to go back on what he had said. He had no idea how much it meant to Clara. Now it was too late. What had been said had been said and want had been done was done. He couldn't help feeling like the blame was on his shoulders. Without saying a word, he held her tightly and rubbed her back soothingly to try to ease the crying.

When Clara had calmed down Danny fetched a cup of tea in a bid to find out what had actually happened.

"So what did you say? What happened?"

"Well I could tell as soon as he walked in earlier that he had something to say but wasn't quite confident enough to say it so we sat down and I tried to make him open up. Eventually he did and he asked me if I still wanted to travel with him..." She paused, confusing Danny slightly.

"And... What did you say?" She looked at him sheepishly. Could she tell him what she actually wanted to do?

"I said that I couldn't travel with him anymore because... Because you didn't want me to."

"Look don't worry, say what you think. I don't mind if you don't agree with me. I just wanted to keep you safe." After a sip of tea she continued.

"He was devastated... I could see it in his eyes, his big sad eyes. He tried to hide it but I saw straight through it. Danny, I hurt him. I hurt his feelings. I let him down. It was like I had betrayed him of everything that he ever stood for and everything that we ever did together." He looked at her in disappointment. Not disappointment with her, but with himself. He had made a mistake.

"Clara, you don't want to stop travelling do you? It's okay, you can admit it. We haven't always got on, me and the Doctor, as you know. I suppose when I saw how upset you were when he had let you down or made you do something that you didn't want to do I just assumed that he wasn't good for you. I assumed that he would hurt you and would end up really letting you down. I didn't want that. I didn't want you to be more upset than you ever needed to be. I guess I was overprotective. I love you so so much. I couldn't risk him taking you away and never bringing you back to me. I couldn't live without you. He seemed like a threat. And now I feel like I had the wrong judgement because what I have said has made you tell him something that you don't agree with. I influenced your decision in the wrong way and your upset because of it. It's my fault that your upset, not his. That was never meant to happen." He looked down at the ground in embarrassment.

"No it's not your fault, you did what any boyfriend would do. You protected me, stopped me from doing something that could have hurt me. I know that the life that me and the Doctor have is put of your comfort zone but trust me, he would never leave me in a dangerous situation without knowing that he could save me. He always saves me. Also, I think your right. I don't want to stop travelling but I don't know if stopping was a bad decision. I have you and Ellie now, my life isn't the same as it used to be. I can't afford to go somewhere and not come back. Also the Doctor taught me so much. He taught me that everyone is different and no matter what you look like everyone still deserves the same equality. He showed me that some people can live more in twenty years than others can in eighty. Everyone is different in their own way and that's not a bad thing. It's not a bad thing to be different. Diversity is the fuel of the universe and without it there would be nothing. He is such a great man. He has seen so much and saved so many lives. He deserves some respect Danny. You can give that to him by getting to know him and saying sorry for doubting him. And by trying to see him the way I see him. I'm not asking for you to like the way he lives, I'm asking you to give it a chance." Danny leaned forwards to put his cup of tea on the table. Then he made himself comfortable so that he could speak to her more clearly.

"I understand. And I'm sorry for not giving enough of my time to him. I should have got to know him better when I had the chance. Maybe knowing him better will give me more faith in him, more trust that he would never put you in danger. I also now understand how much he means to you and how much your life with him has impacted you. But there is one thing I don't understand." Clara shifted in the chair, wiping her tears from her eyes. "Why do you do it? Why do you get in his little box and fly away? I know you say that you see amazing things, things that hardly anyone gets the chance to see but what's wrong with where you are everyday? What's wrong with your life here? Why do you feel the need to travel through time and space when everything you should want is right in front of you? I can't help but feel like me and Ellie aren't enough. I feel like I'm not enough, like I can't compete with the Doctor. I can give you a home, a family, love, friendship, trust... But I can't show you amazing things, well things that aren't on Earth anyway. I can only offer you what I have and space isn't that." His face saddened making Clara want to give him a massive hug. She knew that Danny didn't like the Doctor much but she didn't realise that the dislike had a stronger meaning. A deeper reason behind it. It hurt, it hurt to think that she had been off with the Doctor leaving Danny behind thinking the worst of himself. She never meant to do that.

"Hey why would you ever think that!? You and Ellie mean everything to me, and I mean that. I don't know what I would do without you. Don't you ever think that you're not enough because, believe me, you mean so much more to me than I tell you. I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry. I didn't realise that you thought that. One of the reasons why I told the Doctor to go today was because I wanted to make you happy and put your mind at rest. I wouldn't do that if I didn't love you would I?" Danny seemed to move on from what she had said making her consider if he really believed it or not.

"Okay, and as for why you feel the need to travel when you have a perfect life here?" She stopped to reconsider. She had to word this right.

"Because it's amazing. Because... I see wonders. I see things that no other human can say that they have seen. I experience things that I will never forget, things that are once in a lifetime opportunities. I can't say no to that. No matter how perfect my life is here, which it is, I have such an amazing life. Thank you so much for that. It's not that our life isn't enough, it's that I can't say no to something that I am so lucky to have been offered to do. It means too much." Danny got up and walked to the window. He stared out towards the trees across the road, contemplating what to say next. Clara got up to join him. She held his hands causing him to turn to face her.

"Danny? What are you thinking? Tell me what your thinking, please?" He sighed and began to speak.

"I don't know what to say... I feel like I've been a complete idiot. I've forced you to turn down something that you love and I should never have done that. I had no right to. If this 'Doctor' is so amazing then let me decide for myself. Let me see him the way you see him. Let me experience the incredible things that you have seen and done. Let me travel with you." Clara was stunned. Not only had he had a change of heart about the Doctor but he wanted to travel with them. She didn't know what to say to the sudden preposition.

Clara stood in silence letting her mind whir away. Part of her wanted to be happy. She had managed to convince Danny to give it a try and to trust the Doctor. But part of her wanted to be scared. Scared that Danny might get hurt or think that the Doctor was too dangerous for her. Taking him with them would mean that he would actually experience things. He wouldn't just be relying on what she had told him had happened to form opinions, he would actually be there. She couldn't work out if welcoming Danny to the TARDIS was good or bad. Either way, she had to convince the Doctor first...

**And there we go! So the Doctor will be back, just maybe not in the same way... ;) there won't be another chapter for about 3 weeks or so as I am going on holiday so won't have time to write. Sorry about that. Thank you for reading anyway, it means a lot :) x**


	6. Chapter 6-Teachers On A Spaceship- pt1

**So here it is! Sorry it's been soooo long, I was on holiday and then had a really busy week back at school, I just haven't had time to write. I was going to make this story in to one long chapter but I changed my mind. So this is part one, enjoy! :D x**

Teachers On A Spaceship (Part one)

Today was the day. The day that had been looming in Clara's head for weeks. She finally had to speak to the Doctor. She had been putting it off for ages. For some reason she felt so nervous, more nervous than most things that had happened in her life. She was terrified for what he would say. After all she had told him that they couldn't travel anymore, she was the centre of his life (even though he would not admit it) and he loved being with her. She could tell that by the pain in his face when she said that it had to end. He was constantly thinking of places to go and to see. To think that she had taken that away from him hurt. She felt so guilty for ending her double life with him like that. Clara had thought of nothing but what she would say to him for the last month. She had been going over it in her head for so long now that she practically knew it off by heart. So today was the day when she had to actually say it.

Clara was laying in bed thinking about it, dreading it. The sound of a cry from the other room broke through her thoughts as she made her way across the landing. Surprisingly Ellie was stood up in her cot balancing herself by holding the bars on the edge.

"Mama!" She called when Clara emerged into the room.

"What are you doing awake? It's really early!" She spoke to Ellie softly as she picked her up and brought her into a hug.

"Ellie not tired, Ellie play?" She looked up at Clara with her big brown eyes. It was hard to resist and she wanted to give in but she knew that they needed sleep.

"No Ellie can't play now, Ellie needs to sleep so that she's not tired for nursery tomorrow!" Ellie sighed making Clara laugh. She was very good at making appropriate noises at certain times, not always good times though... It was almost as though she tried to embarrass Clara and Danny in public. She had recently turned to making farting noises which could be really embarrassing. Especially at the wrong moment. Ellie snuggled into Clara's chest as she rocked her backwards and forwards. At least one of them could sleep. There wasn't much chance of her sleeping again tonight. Once Ellie was asleep Clara placed her back in the cot and kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight princess." Clara whispered as she crept out of the room. She walked downstairs instead of disturbing Danny.

The curtain of the living room window was slightly open allowing some light from the moon into the room. It shone on the glass table catching Clara's eye as she walked past. She walked in and stared up at the sky. It was so beautiful at night. That was one of the things that she loved about travelling with the Doctor. Seeing the million miles of blackness. Seeing the stars shine, lighting up the space around them. Looking down at Earth and realising how small we really are and how delicate our atmosphere is. No one got to experience that first hand, no one but her and the Doctor. Just the two of them against the world. She missed it. But that didn't make speaking to him any easier.

When the sun broke out Clara was sat with a cup of tea resting on her stomach. She hadn't realised how long she had been sat there. It must have been hours. She woke from her daydream when she heard Danny jog down the stairs.

"There you are! You okay?" He came up behind the sofa and bent over to kiss her neck.

"Oh yeah I'm fine, I couldn't sleep and I've been thinking... Well, worrying." She sighed and Danny came to sit next to her.

"About what? What's wrong?" She leant on his head and he put his arms around her.

"I've just been thinking about the Doctor. I need to speak to him, as you know, but I'm not sure that I know how to. I'm worried about what he will say."

"I know that it's going to be uncomfortable and slightly awkward but you'll be fine. I know it. Anyway sitting and worrying about it isn't going to get it done. The longer you put it off, the more you will work yourself up." He smiled reassuringly at her as she hugged him tighter.

"Yeah you're right, I need to just go for it. I need to get it out of the way... Changing the subject, what are you doing up? It's still early."

"Oh I thought I'd go for a run as its a nice day. Refresh me a bit before work." He moved to get up and put his trainers on.

"Okay, but don't be late like last time." She winked at him as she thought back to the other morning. He had 'got carried away' according to him and his time keeping had gone to pot. He rocked up at the door exhausted with about five minutes to spare before they had to leave. He had to get dressed, eat and sort his bag out without being late. Admittedly, although it was a bit stressful, it was really funny to watch. As it turned out Danny looked very funny trying to run around the house with pair of trousers half way up his legs.

"Oi! That was an accident! I, umm, misread the time." He smiled at her.

"Yeah yeah, what ever you say 'maths teacher'." She giggled and walked past him to kiss him goodbye.

"See you in a bit." Clara nodded as he ran out of the door. It was 6:30. She still had about half an hour until she had to get dressed so she made herself a coffee. She needed an an energy boost to stay awake for the day...

Finally the bell went to sound the end of the school day. The class ran out of the room completely ignoring Clara's request to push their chairs in and hand their books in. She sighed and got to work tidying it up. Danny knocked on the door and entered. He saw the mess and chuckled slightly.

"Woah! Need a hand?" She looked at him desperately.

"Yes please! How can one class make so much mess. It's like they're on a constant sugar high." He laughed, knowing all too well what Clara meant.

"They're kids, they're never not on a sugar high. It's tiring... So are you going to do it?" Clara felt her heart drop as she had momentarily forgotten what she had to do.

"Yeah I'm going to do it now, stay with me? It won't take long, hopefully."

"Of course, I'll be sure to pull some funny faces at you during the serious moments." She hit him on the chest and grabbed her phone from inside the desk.

"Well if you're going to do that you can leave." She said jokingly. She dialled the number and waited for a response. It felt like forever.

"Hello?" He sounded so unsure.

"Hi. Are you okay?" She bit her lip whilst waiting for a response.

"Yeah I'm okay, but why are you phoning? I thought you didn't want me anymore?" The way the Doctor said 'me' shocked Clara. Had the way she ended things seemed too harsh? Did he feel unwanted? Did he realise that it wasn't him that she didn't want, she just didn't want the travelling part? She was feeling more and more guilty.

"That's what I thought but me and Danny have had a chat and I've got a preposition."

"Oh? What could pe have said to change your mind? I thought he was the one that isn't okay with it?" He didn't sound angry but he didn't sound like he wanted a conversation either. Clara felt like she was holding him back from doing something else. Like he was preoccupied.

"He didn't like it but, as I said, we've had a chat and he thinks that he was a bit quick to judge you. He had an opinion and he didn't try to see you in a different light but now he has." She paused.

"So? What are you saying?"

"Can he come with us?" She blurted out what she had to say to stop it from being the elephant in the room.

"What!? Where did that come from!? I thought he hated me and thought that travelling through time and space was too dangerous? And now he wants to come along? It's like a roller coaster with you isn't it!?" He sounded shocked. She could imagine him pacing around the TARDIS waving his arms around to emphasise what he was saying.

"Yeah well, again, like I said, we've had a chat. Look, I think it would be really good for him to see what it's actually like. To see what we get to experience. It might even mean that we can travel again? You never know." The other end of the line went silent. This was going to take more persuading. "C'mon Doctor! He needs to see what we do and why I love being with you so much. It's the only way to change his mind completely." The Doctor sighed. How did Clara always manage to twist his arm?

"Okay, okay. Let's do it. But only if you have told him everything... And I mean everything. I don't want anymore of those moments when I say something that he doesn't know and you get all angry with me." She slightly giggled at that.

"Oh my god! Really? He can come!? Thank you, and I promise, I have told him everything. No awkward conversations." They had a bit more of a chat and then ended the call. Danny looked promisingly at her.

"So? What's the verdict?"

"He said yes! You can come."

"Woah, I'm surprised he said yes... Now all I need to do is make sure I don't mess it all up." She frowned at him.

"And why would you mess it up exactly?"

"Well you two obviously have a system, like how you like to do things. I don't know that system so I might do the wrong thing. I've never been to space remember."

"Ahh yeah it may take a bit of getting used to but you'll pick it up soon enough." She smiled at him and they hugged. Clara was still unsure of how to feel. She was happy that Danny would finally get to see what her and the Doctor did but she was also scared of what he might think of it all.

The next day break time finally arrived making it time for Clara and Danny to meet up. She walked into his classroom and re-did her mini-briefing about him and the Doctor and what not to touch in the TARDIS etc. Danny looked completely bemused at all of the technical words she was using. She was so engrossed in what she was saying that she didn't notice his facial expressions. Finally she stopped and saw his confusion.

"Oh sorry, I've lost you haven't I..." He laughed.

"Yeah just a little bit... Look calm down, we will be fine. What's the worst that can happen?!" She smiled and agreed with him knowing that fine was so far from the truth. Danny had no idea what could go wrong, he had no idea that fine wasn't a word that got used in the TARDIS very often. He was about to be enlightened beyond his belief. She didn't even know where they were going. It could be absolutely anywhere. After all, the Doctor wasn't exactly predictable...

Soon enough he turned up in the little store cupboard allowing her and Danny to run inside almost unseen. The Doctor was pacing around and only momentarily stopped to greet them.

"Hi, ready to go?" He didn't say hello properly as he normally would, him and Clara didn't have their normal catchup. He just got on with what seemed to be a very awkward situation.

"Yeah ready to go! Where are we going?"

"Well I thought, since this trip is to enlighten pe, that he should decide?" Clara smiled at the terrified look on Danny's face.

"Me? You want me to decide where to go?! How do I do that? I mean-"

"Anywhere you like, anywhere in all of time and space. Where do you want to go or see?" The Doctor strolled around the console fiddling with the buttons, preparing to start flight. Danny, however, looked stumped. It was a tough decision. Where on earth do you go when you are offered with all of time and space?

"Let's go to a different planet. One that is completely different to Earth. Can we do that Doctor? I'd like to see another planet." Clara grinned at the Doctor who replied with a half smile. He wasn't quite sure about the situation yet.

"Okay, what ever you say. Let's go!" He grinned at Clara as the console whistled and whirred. They hang on to the sides as the ship spun through space just like old times.

"Here we are." The Doctor pulled the lever down and walked over to Danny.

"Wait? So we're in space now? Just like that?" The dismay and disbelieve on his face made Clara want to laugh out loud. He was genuinely shell shocked.

"Yeah, it's cool isn't it?" She giggled and pulled him towards the door. The Doctor followed on behind. Through the door was an amazing view of green fields as far as the eye could see. Strange trees hung over the TARDIS and the dark, starry sky made the flowers glisten softly. Birds flew around their heads and the cool air wafted through Clara's hair.

"Wow... Where are we!?" Danny exclaimed as he walked slowly through the grass.

"Welcome to Oihana. Commonly known throughout space as the land of rainforest. Nice place, very green." He shut the TARDIS doors and signalled them to follow him. They walked towards a steep hill and then the Doctor stopped to speak. "Just over this hill is a cliff. Your going to love the view, it's one of my favourites." Danny stared in awe of what he was seeing. He was really in space, real life space. When they got to the top he let out a gasp.

"Wow... That is... Amazing." Said Clara as she looked into the distance. The cliff looked down on to the main village of Oihana. The moonlight was shining off of the green leaves that were elegantly shaped into houses. It was laced with flowers and beautiful buildings that stretched for miles.

"This is incredible. It's like alien London!" The Doctor sighed at Danny's comment.

"Oh pe, I bring you to a planet millions of miles away from Earth and you go and compare it to London?! This, this is better than London. This is Herriaren, this is the main city of Oihana." Clara could sense the awkwardness coming off of the Doctor. He clearly wasn't comfortable with this arrangement. There was something that he wasn't telling her and she was determined to find it out.

They sat down on the hill and continued to look out at the city. Suddenly there was a massive blast from in the distance. The faint noise of screaming people cut through the peacefulness. Two more blasts flew through the city along with bright lights coming down from the sky. The Doctor got up, alarmed.

"Doctor? What is it?" Clara ran to his side, trying to make out his expressions. A familiar sound broke though the air and a feeling of dread settled inside Clara's stomach. She knew that noise. She knew it meant danger. The Doctor began to walk backwards with his hand over his mouth.

"No no no, oh no no no. It can't be, we can't be here. Not now, not ever."

"Doctor, what is it? Why can't we be here?" Clara was starting to get scared now. The only time she had seen the Doctor this scared was when he saw the other version of himself, during the time war...

"I don't understand. Why has the TARDIS brought us here? I didn't set this date. Why has this happened?" He began talking to himself as though it helped him to think. Danny had gone remarkably quiet all of a sudden.

"Doctor? Where are we? Or... when are we?" She reiterated her question as it seemed to fit better.

"This is the fall of Oihana, this is the day the Daleks invaded Herriaren. We can't be here. This is the time war. I can't be here." He looked scared, truly scared. Clara felt scared for him. Finally Danny piped up.

"Wait? The time war? Isn't that the one that you told me about Clara? The one when his people got lost somewhere?!"

"Yes, the bad one. The end of time as everyone knew it."

"Oh my god, why are we here then?" The realisation of the event that they were at had finally hit them all. This was going to be dangerous.

"I think the TARDIS was attracted by something. I think that this is a fixed point in time. We need to be here, we have a job to do here. Something is going to happen that will change the events of the past and the future, we're going to defeat the Daleks." Now the Doctor looked excited. Danny and Clara, however, looked terrified. Clara knew from experience that that excitable smile from the Doctor meant only one thing, danger. He thrived in it. He loved the day to day adventure, the near death experiences. Normally she would jump for an opportunity like this but not today, not with Danny. Danny couldn't see the danger that she faced. It was too much. The Daleks meant only one thing and that was danger. They had only been out of the TARDIS twenty minutes and they already had done what she didn't want to do. She had hoped that they could just go to space and then come back again but no. Nothing was ever that simple in time and space with the Doctor. Her thoughts distracted her from the drama around her. Danny was questioning the Doctor who was enjoying the situation just a little bit too much. It scared her, it scared her to death.

Suddenly the noise came closer. A light from the sky shone at the clifftop and a massive bang shook all of them to the ground. Danny ran over to help Clara up. They stood staring up at what had just landed in front of them. It had narrowly missed hitting them. The spaceship opened up and out flew five Daleks.

"Exterminate, exterminate!" The Doctor ran over to Danny and Clara who had moved backwards from the ship.

"We have to run now! We have to run!" They grabbed each other's hands and ran towards the TARDIS. Just as they were nearly there, they were stopped by one of the Daleks.

"Timelord, timelordddd! The Doctor is detected, the Doctor is detected!" Soon they were surrounded by chanting Daleks. There seemed to be no escape.

"What do you want? Why are you here?" The Doctor questioned them.

"Today Oihana will fall! The Dalek empire will conquer all!"

"Oh but you won't, no you won't." He looked at Clara reassuringly. He had a plan.

"What is the meaning of that? Explain!"

"Your empire will not conquer all! Do you know why!? Because I'm going to stop you. I'm going to wipe every stinking Dalek off of this planet and there's nothing you can do about it." He threw his hands out to the sides of him and reached into his pocket.

"How will you defeat us? How!?"

"Three people, one spaceship and one sonic screwdriver. I think I can do something with that!" The Doctor and Clara grinned at each other. They had missed this. Clara grabbed Danny's hand and ran. They ran through the fields and towards the city where all hell was breaking loose.

"EXTERMINATE EXTERMINATE!" They got back to the edge of the cliff and were faced by a steep drop. There was no way down.

"Doctor! What do we do now?!"

"Ahhh, find a way down? That would be a start!"

"Well in case you hadn't noticed, we have a dozen Daleks chasing us ready to kill us on the spot?"

"Yeah that is a slight problem..." The Daleks cornered them and they had no where to escape to. There was no where to go.

"EXTERMINATE EXTERMINATE!"

"Doctor!"...

Everything went white. Everything around them disappeared and all they could see was white...

**To be continued... So I'll try to get the second part written soon. I'm sorry I've been really bad at keeping this updated, I've had so much going on :( so sorry for any delays, thank you for reading anyway x**


	7. Chapter 7- Teachers On A Spaceship pt 2

**Here's part two! I'm so so sorry that it's been so long! I've been so busy lately but I've managed to get it written. I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to leave a review ;) **

Note: it's really difficult to read the Daleks speech parts without doing the voice in your head, so have fun with that! ;)x

Teachers On A Spaceship Part Two

Clara rubbed her eyes and sat up slowly, weary of what may be lurking near her. She felt the back of her head. She must have hit it when she fell. Suddenly she woke up to the realisation that something had happened. Something had changed where they were. She was no longer on the cliff over looking Harriaren but in a white room with no windows or obvious doors. She climbed to her feet to investigate her surroundings. Soon she realised that she was alone. Danny and the Doctor were no where to be seen. She quickly became worried and began to panic. She couldn't afford to let Danny out of her sight. She ran towards the door that she had noticed since being on the floor. It was also white so it blended in with the rest of the room.

"Hey! Let me out! Hey!" She knocked on the door and shouted, hoping that someone would hear her. She could hear faint movement outside but she couldn't tell it was. For all she knew it could be an empire of Daleks, she had to be cautious. Clara began to pace up and down to help her think of a plan. Suddenly there was a bang and the door slid open. She jumped backwards and braced herself. A Daleks voice echoed in the distance. Dread built up in her stomach, she knew that that could only spell trouble. To her surprise Danny walked in with his hands behind his head looking unsurprisingly scared. The Dalek turned away and the door shut behind it. Clara ran to Danny and reassured him quietly.

"Danny, are you okay!? What happened?" He looked stunned. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him close.

"I, I don't know? We were outside... then we were here? How did that happen?" That was a question that Clara didn't know how to answer. Even she couldn't think of an explanation as to why they were there.

"I have no idea... Where did they bring you from?"

"I was in a room the same as this. They said that I had to follow them so I did. Then I ended up here..."

"Did you see anything? Anything other than white rooms?" She had to get answers from him so that she could get her bearings. That might help her to understand the situation better.

"Yeah I walked through lots of dark corridors and then there was a big tunnel... Like the ones that the players come through at a football stadium. And then the tunnel opened out and there were hundreds of Daleks chanting. It looked like they were cheering?" Clara's face dropped. That meant only one thing.

"Oh god, oh god... That's not good." She began pacing again.

"What? What isn't good?" He walked towards her in desperation.

"Hundreds of Daleks chanting? Strange white rooms used as prisons? We're on the main Dalek ship. Anything could happen..." There was another quieter bang and a small window opened so that they could see out. They were on the edge of the ship and the rest of the fleet was flying around them. The huge silver and gold metallic structures were whizzing backwards and forwards making odd wheezing noises. Danny couldn't believe his eyes.

"What does that mean? What happens on the main ship?"

"Basically it's where all of the Daleks meet and pay homage to their emperor. So that means that were on a ship with about a million Daleks... So basically that means that were in trouble, massive trouble." They both turned to look out of the window again.

"Oh god." Danny was still taking it all in. Clara, however, had processed it but didn't know what to do next. "What do we do now? Can we escape?"

"Yeah we could but with precision. We'd have to do it at the right time and when there was the least amount of Daleks around and-" Danny stopped her, realising that his idea was not going to work.

"So that's a no then. Ahh, so we're stuck?" She looked at him, down-heartened.

"For now yes, unless we can think of a better idea?" Clara winked at him to liven the mood. So far this trip had not gone how she wanted it to go. Not only had they walked into danger, they had managed to get stuck in the most dangerous place in the universe. How's that for a first time in space? Frankly, it couldn't have gone any worse.

After a while of sitting around, Clara jumped up.

"So! Let's go, let's get out of here." Danny looked at her, puzzled.

"How exactly?"

"By using a plan that is still forming in my head... But hey ho! We might as well try to escape." She ran over to the door and banged on it as hard as she could.

"Hey you! Open up, I want a chat." She could hear a Dalek approaching the door so she got ready.

"What is the meaning of this noise?!"

"I want to know why were here and what you plan to do with us." It moved inside the room, leaving the door open behind it.

"You have no need for that information!"

"No need!? Oh c'mon rusty! You know you want to tell me!" She danced around the Dalek, she had leant how to confuse them over time. It always worked. Dalek weakness, they always get distracted. Something else she had taken from her travels with the Doctor.

"You have no need for that information!" Clara rolled her eyes, this was getting boring now.

"C'mon this is tiring! How about you just tell me? It would be soooo much easier..." She looked over to Danny and winked. He immediately knew what her plan was. Whilst Clara had the Dalek's attention he started to move slowly towards the door. He signalled to her that the coast was clear and she finished reasoning with the Dalek. "It's a shame that you couldn't just tell me in the first place... It would have been so much better for you." She ran past it and grabbed Danny's hand. They ran down the corridor, not looking back.

"Exterminate! Exterminate!" The Dalek turned out of the room, narrowly missing them with its shot. They sprinted past the other prisons only stopping when they got to the tunnel. Clara cautiously walked down it, watching out for any more Daleks. Eventually it opened out and thousands of Daleks were chanting and cheering. There was a stage in the centre on which there was the emperor. The feeling of dread came back as Clara confirmed where they were. This was really not good.

"Is that the emperor?" Danny ducked behind the low wall that Clara had resorted to using to hide herself at the same time as seeing what was going on.

"Yeah and that is bad news... That is really bad news-" She paused as the noise coming from the Daleks intensified. They began to cheer more and seemed to be celebrating. Suddenly the Doctor walked in, followed by two Daleks, most probably soldiers. He looked around to examine his surroundings. He was then stopped and made to listen to the emperor speak.

"Doctor! You will help us!" He laughed at the request he was being given.

"What? You want me to help you? After everything that you have done and go on to do, you think I'd help you?"

"You will help us."

"Go on then, surprise me. What will I help you with?" He laughed over his words sarcastically.

"You will help us win the time war. You will help us bring the fall of Oihana!" At that moment every Dalek on the ship cheered. It was as though they had all been merged into one, synchronising everything they did. Clara and Danny watched on in awe.

"How will you do that then? What can I possibly offer to help you?"

"You have knowledge of time. You have seen the past, present and future, you have knowledge that only a time lord could have. We would require that knowledge."

"What am I meant to do? What do you actually need me to do?" The emperors voice got louder as though he was claiming victory for the Daleks.

"You will help us make a time machine. The ultimate machine to conquer the universe!" The arena roared. The sound echoed down the corridors and out of the side of the ship.

"And what makes you think I would help you?"

"You have no choice!" The Doctor snorted.

"No choice? How can you still believe that you have me imprisoned? How many times have you fought me before?"

"Many!"

"Yeah, and how many times have you won? How many times have you managed to stop me? I always win and doesn't that scare you to death!?" He and his rhythm back, he was in his element against the Daleks. He knew how they worked and how they fought.

"You are imprisoned now, you will not escape." The Doctor smirked; he had a plan.

"Oh really? Why am I escaping now then?" He pulled his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and help it to the sky. With one short pulse the lights burst and sparks were flying everywhere. The Daleks roared and screamed. He ran through the darkness, he didn't have much time.

"The Doctor is escaping! The Doctor is escaping!" Panic spread throughout the ship as the Daleks were fooled once again. Clara and Danny stood up and looked around. They knew they had to escape but they didn't know where to go. Suddenly the Doctor popped up behind them.

"Boo! Come on, quick, run!" She grabbed Danny's hand and followed the Doctor. As they ran they dodged the Daleks firing at them from every angle. When they got to the end of the corridor they came to a large room. Once they were inside the Doctor shut the door behind them. There was a huge window at the front from which they could see the whole of Oihana. Explosions were going off left, right and centre as the fleet attacked everything they saw. It was a scene of utter devastation.

"Is everyone okay?" The Doctor walked towards Clara and Danny.

"Yeah I think so but what happened out there? We were on Oihana, then we appeared on the Dalek ship."

"It was me. I did it." They looked at him blankly. Clara spoke up.

"What do you mean, it was you? Why would you teleport us to the biggest Dalek ship in the universe!? We could have died!" Once again, she felt cheated. She had deliberately been put in danger for no good reason. The Doctor promised he would stop doing that but he had done it again.

"I had to. I had to distract the Daleks. They were going to kill us on site. That was the only thing I could do. And now they've told me their plans so, job done." Danny finally stepped forwards and spoke up.

"Job done? We nearly died just to find out some plans?"

"Well, in my defence, they are pretty important plans..." Danny gave him a stern look so he quit the self-glorification. "Look, now we can stop this attack and stop the Daleks from doing anything worse. Don't you see? We've won and they don't even know it." They both looked at him. Danny was shocked at his ignorance. He put Clara in danger just to suit his plan. She could have been seriously hurt, he wasn't prepared to let that stand. Clara, however, looked at him in disappointment. Not only had he just used her as a decoy again but he had ignored what she had spoken to him about. They had had a chat about how he should behave around Danny but he had forgotten and gone back to being his usual self. It wasn't that she didn't like his usual self, it was that it didn't suit her life anymore. They stood in silence, not one of them knowing what to say next.

A few minutes later the Doctor spoke up.

"So here you are. Teleports back down there. Just press the button." He put his on his wrist and prepared himself. Danny looked concerned.

"What? We're going to go back down there to where there are hundred of Daleks ready to kill us again?"

"Oh they'll be gone by now. Daleks, terrible attention spans." And with that, they all pressed the buttons and landed back on solid ground.

The Doctor did a quick sweep of the area to check for the Daleks they'd ad bumped into earlier. They were nowhere to be seen.

"So what now?" Clara spoke as she looked towards the broken down city beneath them.

"Well I know their plans now so I guess it's time to stop them." They looked blankly at him. "We're going to go down there and sort out the mess."

They tread carefully through the market stalls and behind the houses making sure that they weren't seen. When they got dither up the street, it opened up so that they could see what was ahead.

"There! That's where we need to go, that's what the Daleks want." The Doctor pointed at the huge citadel in front of them. It looked much like a palace but a bit rustier. There were hundreds of Daleks flying around it, shooting every moving thing they saw. Protecting the contents of the building.

"What's in there?"

"The Daleks want to build a time machine. They need me for the sciency stuff and Herriaren for the materials. Under that building is the biggest factory in the universe, it holds everything they would need to build it. Oihana is known for its buildings. That's where all the materials are from." They continued to jog down the streets.

"Why do they need a time machine anyway?" Danny spoke from the back of them.

"Oh come on pe! Think what destruction they could make with a time machine! Every loss could be changed, every time stream disintegrated, every victory replayed. The universe would turn into one big paradox. It would be the end of everything."

"Oh... And I'm not even going to ask what a paradox is." The Doctor tutted.

"Yeah... Probably for the best." Clara could feel an argument brewing. It was not going to be pretty.

The citadel was heavily guarded. By some miracle they had managed to make it inside without being seen. Once they were inside though, it got a whole lot harder. The sound of metal hammering broke through the silence outside. The people of Herriaren were working to load every last piece of material on to massive metal ships. The Daleks roared at them to pick up the pace. The whole building was being used as a hard labour camp.

"We need to get down there." The Doctor pointed over to a door on the opposite side of the room.

"Ahh typical! Trust you to pick the furthest door away from us. How are we going to get there?" He smiled at her. He was about to do something stupid.

"Like this!" He grabbed a brick and lobbed it at the closest Dalek. It turned round to see what had thrown it. For a moment it looked like it was about to shoot but it didn't, it paused giving them enough time to run to the door.

Inside there was an huge open door. It looked out to the Dalek fleet which was circling around the planet. A huge conveyer belt type thing was attached to one ship and tons of materials were being pulled along on it. Next to the start of it was a control panel. The Doctor ran to it and started to analyse the buttons and levers.

"Is that what we need Doctor?" Clara began to look as well.

"On there somewhere is a self destruct button." They smiled at each other. Clara had finally cottoned on to the plan.

"You're going to blow up the ship!?" Danny moved towards them.

"Yeah, they can't exactly build a time machine with no supplies and no ship can they? And once we've done that, we run. We run as fast as we can back to the TARDIS. One more win for us, eh?" He grinned, thriving in success. He looked for the button but it didn't seem to be anywhere. There was a keypad on the side which seemed to be the right thing. It made sense for there to be a control pad on the self destruct button right?

"Wait, do you know the code?" The Doctor fiddled with his fingers trying to find it somewhere in his vast memory. He walked backwards with his hands over his mouth.

"I don't think I know it..."

"What?!" Danny and the Doctor said looking devastated whilst Clara laughed. They hadn't spotted the obvious.

"Um, you do remember that you have a sonic screwdriver that does stuff like that for you? Right?" He suddenly perked up. He ran forwards and kissed Clara on the head.

"Oh yes! That's brilliant!" He scanned the keypad and the countdown began.

"Right we need to go! Now!" They ran as fast as they could. Past the Daleks, past the rubble and back to the cliff. As they were running they heard the explosion. The whole city rumbled and the faint sound of Daleks shouting echoed through the streets. They didn't look back. They had no time to. It was only when they actually got to the cliff that they stopped. The Doctor tried to speak, although he was mightily out of breath.

"There... It's, it's gone." He bent over to get his breath back. "The ship... Now that it's blown up it, they will leave. They've got no reason to stay... Their plan is foiled."

"So do they ever come back? What happens here in the future?" They started to walk back to the TARDIS.

"They come back, just like always... But that's a story for another day."

They landed back in their house and the Doctor walked into the living room.

"So, the we go. A trip to space. That's what you asked for." His mood had suddenly changed. He seemed slightly annoyed, like something had got in his nerves but he had been to polite to point it out.

"Yes, that is what I asked for and thank you for that." Clara smiled to break the ice. Danny walked out of the TARDIS without saying a word. He didn't know what to say, he was lost for words. He still felt guilty for how he and made Clara treat the Doctor before but he still wasn't convinced that he was safe. Clara noticed that both men were holding back from saying their opinions. How was she going to get out of this one?

"Okay so I'll be getting off then." The Doctor started to walk back to the open door of the TARDIS.

"Oh... alright then, I'll call you soon yeah?" He smiled, a fake smile.

"Yeah." He disappeared off in the blue box leaving Danny staring at the wall on the other side of the room.

"So, what do you think?" Clara prayed that she had won him over but something about his current persona told her that she hadn't.

"Well... I don't really know what to say. I mean, where to start."

"How about at the beginning?" She attempted to get the information out of him.

"I counted that we nearly died three times during that few hours. Three times." He looked disappointed, like she hadn't lived up to his expectations.

"It wasn't meant to be that dangerous, I promise. It just got out of hand." He laughed to himself.

"Out of hand... Managing to nearly get killed by space aliens three times in a few hours is more than out of hand Clara." He walked to stand by the window, his prime thinking spot. She knew what she had to say next. It pained her to say it but she knew it had to be said.

"You want me to stop travelling don't you?" He sighed and she instantly knew she was right.

"It's not the travelling part that bothers me, it's the danger. I can't watch you fly away in his blue box knowing that you might not come back in one piece... Or at all. I'm sorry but I worry to much about you." She stroked his arm and leant her head on his shoulder.

"I know you do and I'm grateful for that, I really am but didn't you enjoy it today? Minus the danger and the Dalek invasion." He smiled at her.

"Honestly? Yes I did. I can see why you do it. You get a kick out of it. It's exciting not knowing what is going to happen next. It was fun. But as you said, you had to minus the danger and the Dalek invasion..." She turned to look out of the window, trying to think of what to say next.

"So you're saying that without the danger and the aliens, you would allow it?" He turned to look at her in the eyes.

"Yes I suppose so. I'm not saying that you have to completely cut him from your life. I tried that last time and look how it turned out... I just couldn't live a life without you. I love you too much for that. When you fly away and go on amazing adventures I can see that you love doing it but I just don't want to see you get hurt." She smiled and hugged him.

"Okay, I understand that. Your right, I can't cut him completely out of my life but when I see you and Ellie as well I know who is more important to me. I know it sounds horrible but I love you and our daughter more, you mean more to me. I have to get my priorities right."

"Whatever you decide, I'll support you through it and we will be okay. But don't let me determine how you act. I don't want to feel guilty like I did before again, that was worse than not knowing where you are and if you are going to be okay." They kissed softly and hugged, embracing the silence before Ellie came home from Clara's dads house.

She felt happy that she had sorted things with Danny but she was still on ice with the Doctor. She needed to talk to him too. There was something that he wasn't telling her, presumably something about Danny being with them because otherwise he would have told her earlier. But that was a job for another day...

**So there you go! What is bothering the Doctor? You will find out next chapter! Thank you for waiting and reading :) x**


	8. Chapter 8- Three Years Old

**Here's chapter ten! I haven't got a plan on how long this fic will go on for really. I did before but now it seems like you like to read it and I enjoy writing it so I'll carry on for as long as that happens for. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy it. Oh and this chapter kinda got long, oh well ;) x**

Three years old

Clara stirred from her light sleep. She hadn't slept very well actually. Everything from the disastrous trip to space with Danny had been praying on her mind. Suddenly the sound of tiny footsteps broke through her thoughts. Ellie was allowed to come out of her bed and into their room on her own now. She and insisted that she was a big girl now and didn't need a cot, much to Clara's disapproval. She walked around the corner and clambered onto the bed.

"Mummy! Mummy!" She gently patted Clara's head until she opened her eyes. When she did, she lifted up the bedcover and let Ellie slide in next to her. "Mummy! Guess what day it is?" She looked at Clara with an excitable look.

"Umm I don't know? What should we do today? I could take you food shopping? I know you love that!" She pretended to have forgotten what the day was. Ellie giggled.

"No mummy! Don't be silly, it's my birthday today!"

"Is it! Oh my goodness! I must have forgotten!" She tickled Ellie making her wriggle about in the bed.

"No you didn't! There's presents in the garage!" Clara looked at her, shocked. Ellie was so smart for her age. She had developed much more than other three year olds, so much so that she had started to listen in on conversations and notice things more often. She wasn't meant to have noticed the presents but it seems like she had...

"How do you know that missus!?" Ellie appeared back out of the covers making Clara laugh.

"I saw you and daddy putting them there... When I was, I was watching peppa pig!" She grinned a cheeky grin and Clara just sighed.

"Well you'll be able to open them later! C'mon lets go and get some birthday breakfast!" They quietly left Danny sleeping. Clara assumed that he must have been tired since he never lied in. Anyway, he would need his energy for today...

At about 11'o'clock they were downstairs ready. Clara and Ellie dressed in their summer dresses and Danny in jeans and a casual shirt. Clara had done Ellie's hair in cute French plaits that, since then, had begun to be used as tools for tickling Danny's face with. She thought it was hilarious. Danny however had merely escaped being blinded. They wanted to look at least half decent for the family coming round. After all the most hated guest was coming round. Linda. Clara hadn't seen her since the incident a while back. Everyone thought it was for the best to give them a break from each other to prevent anything further. Clara hoped that it wouldn't be to awkward today, she didn't want to ruin Ellie's day.

Soon there was a knock at the door. Ellie ran to it and reached up to the door handle. She couldn't reach so Danny had to go and assist her. The first people to arrive were Clara's dad, grandma and Linda. Ellie ran straight her grandad. They had really bonded lately, something that Clara loved to see as it showed that Linda hadn't got in the way at all. She couldn't bare to watch Ellie not getting along with her grandad just because of Linda. A few minutes later more family arrived along with some close friends. Danny and Clara had decided to invite Adrian as he had been so good to them whilst they were at Coal Hill. He had been around a few times so Ellie had gotten to know him. She ran straight to him and clinged on to his leg. He walked along the room making growling noises, pretending to be a monster. She laughed and let go. Clara could tell she was getting more and more impatient. She was being polite, bless her, but she just wanted to open her presents. Typical three year old, eh?

Once everyone was seated, the grown ups began to chat and the room filled with lively conversations. Ellie ran backwards and forwards as she hadn't quite learnt how to sit still yet, she always liked to be on the move. Clara soon noticed that everyone was chatting except for Linda. She started to feel a bit bad. She felt like even though they didn't get along, it was her house so she should make the effort to make Linda feel welcome. So when Ellie walked over, she thought of a plan.

"Mummy, can we have presents now? I've been a really good girl!" She smiled sweetly up at Clara who laughed at Ellie comment.

"I think so, wait here with Danny while I go and find them!" She smiled and Ellie clambered on to Danny's lap. As Clara got up she made it clear that she wanted to say something. Everyone listened intently.

"Right, I think it's present time! Since this little one won't want any longer! Umm, Linda, could you come and give me a hand?" She looked up, surprised that Clara had even spoken to her.

"Oh? Umm, okay, of course." As she got up, Dave looked at Clara cautiously. She gave him a knowing look back and it seemed to put his mind at rest. Danny then did the same thing, Clara just smiled at him so that he knew that she knew what she was doing. They walked out and Ellie started to grin even more.

They were walking towards the garage when Linda spoke up.

"What was that all about then?"

"Look, I know that we don't get along. That's quite clear to everyone. But we can't just ignore each other... We're practically family, whether we like it or not. Us not speaking just makes everyone's lives harder. We both know what it does to dad. He hates us not getting along. So I thought we could just be, I don't know, civil? We don't have to be 'best' mates or anything. We just have to be polite to each other so that we're not making any more fuss than is needed. After all, we can't keep spoiling family get togethers, can we?" Linda half smiled. It was like what Clara had said was sensible but she didn't want to admit it. Eventually she piped up.

"Okay, yes, that's a decent idea I suppose. Let's be civil." She still looked edgy but Clara assumed that that was just the way she was.

"Okay, great, now let's take these presents inside before Ellie bursts with excitement." They smiled at each other and walked inside. Clara was surprised that what she had said had actually made a difference. Linda was stubborn beyond belief but she had given in easily, much to Clara's relief.

As they turned the corner Ellie jumped off of Danny's lap and started to jump up and down. She and the widest smile on her face. Clara had never seen her any happier.

"Presents! All for me!?" Ellie pressed her hands together and looked at them longingly.

"Yeah! All for you! You're a very lucky girl!" Danny spoke to her as he moved onto the floor to help her open them. Everyone watched intently as she dived in. Less than ten minutes later she had opened them all and managed to get wrapping paper all over the floor. She looked at the pile of presents like she didn't know where to start playing.

"Thank you!" She ran to hug Clara.

"Aww that's okay darling! Remember to say thank you to everyone else too, good girl." Clara smiled at Danny as they watched Ellie hug and thank everyone. She gave Adrian his hug last, it was the biggest hug too. He laughed and tickled her. He then started to play with the toys that she had just opened with her.

The room filled with chatter once more and everything seemed to be going smoothly, just what Clara and Danny had planned for. Every so often 'Let It Go' played and Ellie would start to dance along. Adrian had bought her a squishy Elsa toy which sung the song every time it was pressed. Ellie was delighted as Frozen had become her latest obsession. Clara and Danny weren't quite as pleased. They already knew every word to the film and all of the songs, now that Ellie had a toy it was even easier for her to sing along. It drove them out of their minds, they loved it though. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Clara thought to herself about who it could be but no one came to mind. When she opened it, she was surprised at who she did see. The Doctor smiled and did his little awkward wave. She smiled and hugged him.

"Hi! What are you doing here? I didn't know you were popping in today!" He smiled and handed her a small bag half wrapped up.

"I remembered it was Ellie's birthday. So I got her a little something, it's not much but I thought she would like them. Oh and sorry about the wrapping... It's a little-" Clara interrupted him.

"Thank you so much! She'll love them." She was surprised that he remembered the date. He was there the day that she was born but dates didn't normally seem to stay in his head. It made her smile because he had done something so thoughtful, even though he didn't understand the significance of it.

"Do you want to come in? We have the family round but you're more than welcome. We're about to do the birthday cake?" He considered his answer carefully but then agreed.

"Okay, I'm not very good with being 'normal' though..." Clara laughed.

"Ha, don't worry, you'll fit in just fine." He stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

"Everyone, this is my friend, the Doctor. He's come round for a bit." There was a murmur of hellos and welcomes from the group as he came towards Ellie. She hugged him tightly, she must have remembered him from last time. Clara was glad that they had taken a likeness to each other. It made life easier.

"Hello Ellie! Happy Birthday! I got you some sweeties." He shook the bag and handed them to her, the smile on her face widened again. "Don't eat them all before your dinner, eh." He laughed and stroked her hair.

"Thank you, Doctor." He smiled again and stood up to find a seat.

"How about we do the cake!?" Danny stood up to get it ready. Ellie got up to follow him.

"No you have to stay in here! It's a surprise cake!" She ran back to the Doctor who lifted her up on to his knee. A few minutes later Danny reappeared holding the cake with three candles on the top. They chorused the birthday song and let Ellie blow the candles out at the end.

"Hip-hip hurray! Hip-hip hurray! Hip-hip hurray!" They all cheered and watched Ellie examine the cake.

"Look it's peppa!" She made a snorting sound and started to giggle. The cake had peppa pig riding a bike on the top, much to Ellie's delight.

"Yeah and if you come with me you can choose your slice!"

"I'm having the one with peppa's face on it!" She ran into the kitchen to help cut it up.

After cake and make chatter it was time to go home. Nearly everyone had gone home apart from the Doctor, Clara's dad and gran and Linda. Ellie had fallen asleep on her great gran's lap. The excitement had caught up with her after all.

"Well I think I'd best be off then, thank you for your company. It has been lovely." Everyone said goodbye and the Doctor walked towards the door. Clara followed.

"I'll see you out." Clara closed the door behind them and walked with him towards the TARDIS.

"Thank you for coming today, it meant a lot to me. Ellie loved the sweets as well, that was really nice of you." He smiled and unlocked the door.

"That's okay, I made the best effort to remember the date."

"And you did, you remembered perfectly. I'm grateful." It went quiet for a moment, neither of them knowing what to say to each other. Clara knew what she wanted to ask but she didn't quite know how to ask it. She didn't know what his response would be. "Doctor... The other day when you took me and Danny to Oihana and, and stuff happened... What did you think of it? I could tell that you had to say something but you held back, presumably because Danny was in the room. He's not here now so you can tell me." She smiled at him as they walked into the TARDIS to get out from the cold.

"What do you mean? I enjoyed it."

"Yeah I know you enjoyed it, it's the part that you enjoyed that I'm worried about... You enjoyed the danger and the 'getting stuck and nearly killed on the Dalek ship' part. I want to know about the 'Danny coming with us' part." Now he looked up from the console and began to consider his answer.

"Okay you're right. I did enjoy the danger, I always enjoy that, you know me..." He paused.

"And what about the Danny part...?"

"Honestly, I didn't like him being there. It's not that I don't like him because I do, it's just... It's just that I felt like I was being used." He turned away not wanting to see Clara reaction. Clara, however, moved closer to the Doctor. She was shocked. She hadn't thought of the situation like that. It made her feel bad for making him agree now.

"Why would I ever use you!? You know I wouldn't do that! Don't you?" He looked away and didn't reply. "Doctor? You do know that right?"

"I'm not saying that you did it on purpose. It just sort of felt that way. I felt like you brought Danny into the TARDIS because you twisted my arm and then it went from there. It didn't feel like you wanted to see me again, it felt like you wanted to prove to Danny that what we do is good. You shouldn't have to prove it to him, he should trust your judgement. Him being there just made me feel used, like you used the trip to prove a point. Not to have fun, like normal." Clara looked down. She didn't know what to say. Now she felt really bad for not considering the Doctor's opinion. She didn't know that he would see it like that. There was an awkward pause in the conversation, she didn't know what to say to him.

"I'm really, truly sorry. I never meant for it to seem like that. I just wanted to show Danny why I love being with you so much I guess. I mean of course he trusts my judgement but it gave him a better insight actually being there. Now he knows what we do and how it feels to save a planet. I can't thank you enough for letting him have that experience. I wasn't using you." She paused and waited for a Doctor said nothing and started to fiddle with the console again. He wasn't persuaded by what she had said at all. "I really wasn't, I promise. Me travelling with you is a massive debate in our relationship so I wanted him to see things in his own eyes so that he would know what I normally get up to. He just worries about me." She gave up talking him round, he was being stubborn.

"So what does PE think now then?" He moved on from the subject and resorted to asking questions instead.

"Well, it's complicated. Let's just say he's seen you in a different light. He doesn't hate you anymore which is a good start. He also understands our relationship a bit better. The only thing is that he thinks that the places we go and the things we see are too dangerous. He doesn't trust that I will come home safely. After seeing what we got up to the other day he's pretty apprehensive." The Doctor looked surprisingly understanding.

"So he's saying that we can travel but only if it's not dangerous?"

"Yeah and that's pretty hard to do so because of that I think, I think we should have a break... I'm not saying that it's forever, I'm just saying we can't travel until things calm down. I have a family now, I have other things to think about, I have things to lose... I can't afford to just not come back one day." He looked at her, trying to conceal his sadness.

"So that's it then? Goodbye for the, what is it now? The third time?" Clara chuckled under her breath.

"God no! It's not goodbye, it's see you soon. I still want to see you, just not in the same way as normal. Anyway Ellie loves to see you. Pop round when you have time yeah?" He smiled, a sad smile.

"Of course, what ever you want." She hugged him and spoke over his shoulder.

"I don't know how you are feeling right now and I don't know how much you want me to stay or go but trust me, what I'm doing is for the best. I don't really know any other ways round it. It's a difficult situation. I have to keep my family and you in my life in the only way I know how and that's to balance it out. It's just a pause, that's all. Just a pause in our crazy life." He sighed and pulled away. He didn't know what to feel. It had all happened so quickly. Clara didn't know how to word things either. She knew that her decision was for the best but she didn't want to end things as abruptly as last time.

"Okay, I understand." He walked away and prepared to take off.

"So, see you soon then?" She spoke as she walked backwards towards the door. He nodded in response to her question. They both smiled and she left. She stood outside and watched the blue box dematerialise. She missed her old life, however much she loved her life now.

She got back inside and slumped on the sofa. She felt an overwhelming feeling of sadness. It wasn't even like it was the end, she would see him again soon. It was just the fact that she had wanted the Danny thing to work so well so that things could even out. So that she could have her perfect scenario, both men in her life. Nothing was ever easy though was it? Danny speaking to her broke through her thoughts.

"You okay? What did you say to him?" She leant on his shoulder and sighed.

"Yeah I'm fine, and I'll tell you later. It's a conversation for when people have gone home."

"Okay." He kissed her on the cheek and moved on to the floor to play with Ellie who had woken up from her power nap.

After a few minutes of quiet Clara's dad stood up, picking up the plates beside him.

"I'll go and clear up a bit, care to help me Clara?" He indicated for her to come out to the kitchen. This only meant one thing, a domestic chat. This was going to be interesting, Clara thought to herself.

"So what was that thing all about earlier? Asking Linda to help you?" He frowned at her, not understanding her logic.

"I just wanted to break the ice between us. We hadn't spoken for months and it was all getting a bit wearing to be honest." She started to put plates into the dishwasher.

"What did you say to her? Should I expect a mini rage from Linda when we get home?" His voice got sterner as though he didn't trust her to be sensible towards her.

"No! All I said was that we should try to be civil. I made it clear that we are never going to be best friends but that it would be easier if we weren't at each other's throats all the time." Dave looked surprised. He hadn't expected things to sort themselves out any time soon.

"And she agreed!?"

"Yeah, she even said that it was a good idea. And she's right, it makes things easier when we're being civil."

"Wow, that's certainly a turning point to be proud of! Now I don't want to sound patronising, because I know you hate that..." Clara rolled her eyes knowing that what he was about to say would be completely the opposite. "But well done, I'm proud of you. Well done for being the bigger person. I know better than anyone how stubborn you can both be so you did the right thing." She smiled and laughed slightly.

"I do have good ideas sometimes you know." He kissed her head.

"I don't doubt that." He laughed and they walked back into the other room.

They got their stuff together and made a move. Ellie said her goodbyes and they left. Clara and Danny collapsed on the sofa.

"Phew! I never knew being sociable could be that tiring." They laughed and Ellie ran to sit with them. She jumped on top of Danny to which he replied with a wheezing sound. Ellie laughed and started to poke his face. He tickled her to make her stop. She rolled on his lap giggling. After a few minutes she fell asleep again.

"Andddd she's gone... Being three must be a hard job." Danny spoke softly as he picked her up and placed her on his chest where she could lay comfortably. "So what did you say to the Doctor." Clara sighed, she didn't really want to go over it again. She had already gone over it in her head about a hundred times and then in person, with the Doctor.

"Well obviously I said thank you for the sweets and for coming to visit. I mostly said thank you for remembering the date. I was really surprised that he did that. And then I told him that we need to stop travelling for a while. I didn't say forever, I just said for a bit. What you said to me about it being dangerous and me not always coming back safely really struck a chord. It made me think about my priorities. So he's still going to come and visit, we just won't do the actual travelling part for a bit."

"And that's what you want?" She paused to think, not wanting to say anything wrong.

"Yeah I think so, of course I would love to have my old life back. Not in the sense that I wouldn't have you and Ellie but from the travelling side of things. I miss being able to go anywhere and see everything without having a care in the world. But now my life has moved on and I can see what I have and what I could lose if I was careless, I wouldn't change it for the world. I don't need to see wonders in outer space. As a wise man once told me, there are plenty of wonders here right in front of me." He smiled and took in what she had said.

"I agree, that man is very wise indeed. And I think you made the right decision, it's for the best." She kissed him softly, being careful not to knock Ellie. Then she stroked her soft brown hair soothingly.

"We should really get her off to bed, it's been a long day."

"Yeah, we should, don't worry I'll do it." Clara looked at him in shock.

"Did you actually offer to take her to bed? I thought you said that bedtime wasn't 'your area'?!" He laughed.

"Just this once, just this once." They smiled at each other and he disappeared off upstairs with a sleepy Ellie sprawled across his front.

Danny jogged down the stairs after successfully putting her to bed. Clara had moved to lay on the sofa so that she was more comfortable. Danny ran round to the front so that Clara could see him. He did his best cowboy impression by pretending that his hands were smoking guns and pulling them from behind his back to in front of his face where he blew them as if they had just been shot. Clara laughed at how proud he was to have actually got Ellie to sleep, normally that was her job. He thought that doing it once made him some sort of 'macho man'. It really didn't but Clara thought it was cute either way. She moved forwards so that Danny could fit behind her. He laid down and hugged her, pressing kisses to her neck.

"One baby fast asleep, now you're all mine." She cuddled up to him and enjoyed the peace and quiet. She turned round to face Danny who was smiling sweetly at her.

"Wow, we can actually hug without a child in between us." They both giggled.

"Yeah, I suppose it has been a while... Let's make the most of it then." He leaned in and kissed her softly. She returned the kiss and snuggled down towards his warm chest.

"What do you want to do then?" She smirked at him knowing that the same idea ran through both of their heads as soon as she said it.

"Well I was thinking that maybe we could take this upstairs? Get an early night?" He winked before kissing her again, embracing the moment.

"Sounds like a perfect idea." They got up and ran towards the stairs. They chased each other playfully whilst trying not to make too much noise.

"C'mon then, Mr Pink." She slapped his bum cheekily. She giggled as he smirked at her again.

"Oh certainly, after you, Miss Oswald." He moved out the way to let her past. They ran upstairs and into the bedroom to enjoy the rest of the evening...

**Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it, the next chapter will be out in a week or so like normal :) x**


	9. Chapter 9- Positive

**Hey so this is set about 2 months later and there is a surprise for the pinks ;) thank you very much to ThatisneverThat (whose fics you should also check out as they are amazing :)) for the chapter idea. I was going for drama so that's what you got! Hope you enjoy it x**

Positive

It was Sunday morning and the house was strangely quiet. Clara woke to an empty bed and a pillow thrown over her. Danny must have got up and not noticed that his arm was underneath it, sending it flying across the bed like usual. As she sat up she finally heard some noise. Ellie was laughing and Danny was trying to sing let it go. She got up and jogged downstairs.

"Wow Danny, that singing was really something else!" He laughed and kissed her good morning.

"Oh yeah that old thing, I was just warming up my vocal chords so that I can sing to you later." He winked and smiled.

"Oh no, I'll go and bung my ears up then..." He pulled an offended face, pretending to be upset by it. Ellie laughed again. "Oh so do you like Daddy's singing then Ellie!?" She buried her head into her leg and shook her head. "There you go point proven!" They all laughed and sat down in front of peppa pig, the default programme on the TV at the moment.

A while later Danny took Ellie to the park, leaving Clara alone for a bit. She sat down and started to notice that she didn't feel that well. It wasn't a normal sort of ill though. It felt like something inside her was wrong. She thought back to the other night after Ellie party and then she thought back to now. Suddenly she realised that she was late for her period. That was unusual as she was normally on time with her cycle. It was also unusual that she hadn't noticed, it wasn't usually the sort of thing she forgot about. The last time she was late was when she found out that she was pregnant with Ellie. A feeling of shock overwhelmed her as she realised what the strange feelings could be. She got up and paced across the living room.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god." She spoke to herself in attempt to take it all in. Her mind went crazy as she considered every possibility. What if Ellie doesn't want a brother or sister? What if Danny doesn't want another child? What if something goes wrong? How are we going to cope with another baby?

"Stop, stop, stop." She tried to calm herself down to prevent a mini break down. In serious situations it was like her brain refused to think logically. Thinking of a plan was almost impossible. Right, first you need to be certain, you need to go and buy a test. She grabbed her coat and her bag without even thinking about telling Danny that she would be out when they got back. Just as she got to the door they arrived home. She tried to get rid of the flustered look about her to stop any suspicion. Questions were really not needed right now.

"Hey, going somewhere?" Danny smiled and walked past her to let Ellie in the door.

"Umm yeah, I just need to pop out, won't be long, bye." She ran out of the door and desperately hoped that Danny didn't ask where. But of course he did, he's Danny after all.

"Wait? Where? How long for?" He looked really suspicious now.

"I'll explain everything later and not long." She awkwardly grinned and got into the car.

She bought the test and went into the closest cafe that had a toilet. She thought that it would be better to do it while she was out than at home. Danny would have even less chance of finding out at the wrong moment that way. Clara stood patiently leaning on the toilet door staring at the little screen on the test. The next three minutes seemed like forever. She just wanted to know so that she could decide what to do next. Suddenly the result showed up. She gasped. Positive. She was surprised at how shocked she was. It wasn't like they were exactly careful the other night and she had missed her period. The signs were there, she just didn't pay enough attention to notice the obvious. After a few deep breaths she opened the door and walked out.

As she was walking down the street she considered every option. It wasn't that she didn't want another baby, it was that she didn't want it to change the life that she had now. The thoughts came back to her again. What if Ellie doesn't want a brother or sister? What if Danny doesn't want another child? Oddly she was more scared to tell him the news this time than she was the first time round. More pressure rode on this. More things could go wrong. And as for the Doctor... I said that we would stop travelling for a short time. What can I do now? I can't exactly fight aliens when I'm pregnant can I? What do I say to him? She had to shake her head to get rid of the mess she had got herself into. The priority now was to get home so that Danny wasn't too worried.

She unlocked the door and Danny almost ran to her.

"Hi, are you okay!?" She looked at him oddly.

"Urm yeah? Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well you looked a bit edgy when you went out so I thought that something might be wrong?"

"Nope I'm fine, I'm absolutely fine." She walked away from him and kicked herself. Why didn't she told him then that she had something to say and just said it? The moment had gone now, she had to get her head around it first of all. For the rest of the day, Danny seemed a little put out. He had obviously clocked that something wasn't right but he wasn't sure enough to say anything out loud. Clara, however, wasn't ready to tell him either, so they ended up sat in silence instead.

The next morning, after a whole night of silence, Clara got up to go to work. Danny had already got up and gone for a run. That was a definite sign of him being angry or him having something on his mind. Usually he would go for a run in the evening to de-stress after his day but even then, he would still tell her where he was going. When he was upset he didn't say a thing. Clara got up and ready to take Ellie to nursery. Surprisingly Ellie was already up. She loved nursery and seemed to have a really good body clock so she was nearly ready.

"Wow morning big girl!" Clara was shocked to see Ellie in her clothes and folding up her pyjamas by her bed.

"Morning mummy." She didn't look up, she just acknowledged that Clara was there and carried on with her task.

"You got dressed all on your own, well done!" Ellie smiled now and ran over to Clara who had sat on her bed.

"I remembered that it was nursery today so I got ready for you."

"Good girl, mummy needs to get dressed now! I have to go to boring work." Clara did a funny voice when she said boring which always made Ellie laugh.

"Okay mummy, can I watch peppa?"

"Of course you can, I'll come and help you put on the TV, yeah?" They held hands and they went downstairs. After getting dressed and packing their bags, they were ready to leave. Just as they were about to get in the car Danny arrived on the driveway.

"Daddy!" Ellie ran and waved her arms around in attempt to be picked up. Danny grabbed her and swung her around like she was an airplane. He kissed her head and said goodbye to her so that she could get into her car seat. He said nothing to Clara though.

"Aren't you going to be late?" Clara looked at her watch thinking that he still had to get dressed, eat and pack his bag before he left for work. Without looking her in the eye he replied.

"Got a free lesson first thing, thought I would make the most of it. I'll see you later." He walked back into the house without making any attempt of eye contact. Clara sighed and got in the car. It was pointless trying to speak to him about things now, it could wait until later.

When lunch finally arrived Clara started to clean up her classroom. She collected up the piles of textbooks that the kids had left on the end of the rows of the tables. She wasn't quite tall enough to put them on the shelf so she had to stretch across. As she placed the last pile on she slightly tripped making her fall into the shelf. The box full of folders that sat on the top wobbled and fell down on to her head. She just managed to stay on her feet but a sharp feeling of pain caught her attention. Her hand lifted towards her forehead and then away again. No blood. That was a good sign anyway. After standing on a chair to put the box back she went into the toilets to inspect her head. A big purple bruise was already appearing through her makeup.

"Shit." She swore to herself. Just what she needed, a perfect reason for people to fuss over her. She really didn't want that right now. As she walked back to her classroom she realised that lunch was nearly over and she hadn't seen Danny. Just as she thought about him he popped around the corner. His eyes went wider and he stared at her head.

"What have you done!?" He felt it gently with his hand. She winced so he pulled away.

"Oh don't worry, I was putting textbooks back and a box fell off of the shelf. I'll be fine, it's just a bruise." She smiled at him but he didn't smile back. He didn't look convinced. Something was bothering him.

"Really? That's all that happened?" He questioned her as though her word wasn't good enough for him.

"Yes! It just happened now. I was coming out from the toilet because I just noticed the bruise." Again, he looked at her strangely.

"Okay, what ever you say. If you feel weird come and tell me, I have marking to do." He turned and walked across into his classroom. Clara watched him leave, feeling annoyed. What was bothering him? Had she done anything wrong? She couldn't think of anything that she had done so it must have been something else. She was determined to find out what it was.

Once she had picked up Ellie and been publicly humiliated by all of the other parents looking at her face, she arrived back home. Ellie ran straight in after talking about her day the whole way home. She was so engrossed in telling Clara everything that she hadn't even mentioned her bruised head, well at least until they got into the living room.

"Mummy, what happened to your face?" She climbed on the sofa and started checking it out with the pretend medical kit she had got for her birthday.

"Mummy was being silly and reached too high on a shelf. A big box fell on my head and made it go all purple." Ellie giggled after realising that the situation wasn't too serious.

"Silly mummy. You need Doc McStuffins to help you!" She pointed at the TV as the programme had just appeared on the screen.

"Yeah, she would be helpful right now wouldn't she!" Clara laughed and got up to let Danny in as she had seen his car pull up on the driveway. He walked straight in and sighed. His annoyed expression soon faded when Ellie ran to him. They spoke to each other about their days at work and school and then sat to watch the TV together. Danny noticed Clara watching them with sad eyes so he got up and walked towards her.

"Kitchen, now." He shooed her to the other room where they could talk without Ellie hearing.

"Come on, tell me then. What's on your mind. I can tell there's something bothering you." Clara folded her arms to tell him that she meant business.

"Oh I wonder what is wrong?" He sarcastically answered as though Clara should know what she had done 'wrong'. She looked at him blankly.

"I don't know what I've done, that's why I asked." He looked frustrated with her already.

"You've been seeing him again haven't you. You told me that you wouldn't travel with him for a bit. You made me think that you wanted me more. Me and Ellie. But you've lied again." He turned away, not wanting to make eye contact with her.

"What? Where did you get that from!?" Both of their voices had raised slightly without them realising, enough for Ellie to hear what they were saying.

"Oh come on! I'm not stupid, it's just like old times again! You disappeared off in a rush and wouldn't tell me where you went. You pop out of nowhere near the store cupboard with a huge bruise on your head!? You've clearly been with him again." She sighed and looked down. She was going to have to tell him now. He had taken things the wrong way so she needed to sort it.

"No, no, no! You've got the wrong end of the stick! That's not what happened!" She was about to explain herself but Danny interrupted her.

"No I don't think I have! Don't lie to me Clara!" The anger boiled inside her, how could he think that she would lie to him again?

"Let me explain, things happened and-" He interrupted again.

"What things!? What things could have possibly have happened for you to-" She couldn't contain the anger anymore. She burst.

"ME FINDING OUT THAT I'M PREGNANT!" He looked at her, stunned. Everything went silent. "Yeah maybe you should have found out the whole story before jumping to conclusions." He tried to muster up an explanation but nothing came out of his mouth. Clara pushed past him and stormed out of the front door. Ellie began to cry because of the noise. Danny sat down on the nearest chair and tried to take in what had just happened. Clara paced along the road with no plan of where she was going to go. An otherwise decent day had turned into one of the worst they had had in ages...

Clara tried to fight the tears that fell down her cheeks. As she marched towards the park nearby she rubbed her eyes. Why do I always handle things so badly? Danny doesn't deserve this, neither does Ellie. Why am I such a screw up? I should have just told him when I first found out. Angry thoughts flew around her head. She regretted not telling him in the first place so much. None of this would have happened if she had been less selfish. When she got to the park she sat down on a swing and gently began swinging herself backwards and forwards. Tears bubbled over and she couldn't stop herself from crying. She looked down at her, now, flat tummy. She needed to wake up and realise the situation, she had a little person inside of her. She had to sort things out.

After a few minutes she got up to walk back home. She was interrupted, however, by a guilty looking Danny sitting next to her. He smiled sadly not wanting to take control of the conversation like last time. Clara sat back down and wiped her eyes. Danny passed her a tissue which she took from his hand without looking at him. Still staring into the night, she began to speak.

"What was that all about then?" Danny sighed and turned to face her.

"I, I don't actually know... I'm so sorry. I jumped to conclusions, made assumptions that I should have made." She tutted angrily.

"Too right you did, that's an understatement."

"When you ran off the other day without telling me where you were going and then you turned up with the bruise on your head today... It just reminded me of how our relationship used to be. The only thing I could think of was him, that's what you were like when you were with him. And I just jumped to that conclusion without thinking, it was so stupid." He stood up and rubbed his hands down his face, briefly looking over to Ellie who was curled up in the push chair, asleep. "Why did I do that? I'm so, so sorry. That was a huge cock up." She looked at him blankly, she was still angry.

"You should have spoken to me instead of exploding into things like that. There was no need for that argument. I thought you trusted me, then you go and do this?" He moved to crouch in front of her.

"I do trust you, of course I do. Travelling with him the other week has messed me up a bit I think. But from what I've heard, it often does that. I don't know why I didn't speak to you first. It just seemed as though you were ignoring me so I didn't. Childish, I know."

"I wasn't ignoring you, I was just gathering my thoughts before telling you stuff. I had to get it through my head first before I could think about telling you. It was unexpected..." She paused to think. "Oh wow this is a huge mess isn't it..." He grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"Yes it is and it's all my fault. I was an idiot to assume that the Doctor was involved when he clearly wasn't. Also I should have spoken to you when I started to worry. But, on the other hand, you could have told me when you found out you know?"

"I know I could have, it's not that I didn't want to. I wasn't in the right frame of mind to voice it. I was going to tell you today but then things went... You know. So now promise me something. Promise that you won't ever assume anything like that again? Because you will normally find that what you assume isn't even close to what is actually going on." He smiled.

"Wise words, I promise. It won't ever happen again." He then stood up so that he was able to pass her his hand. As they walked off Clara felt her anger levels decrease and she was finding it hard to not forgive him. After all, he had a good point, he just handled it completely wrong.

When they got home Danny took, an already asleep, Ellie to bed. Clara laid down on the sofa feeling drained from the day. For the first time in weeks she just laid there. No thoughts running through her head. Nothing worrying her. She felt peaceful for the first time in a long while. When Danny returned she sat up so that he could join her. She didn't say anything so that he could speak first, knowing that he would have some questions.

"So, you are pregnant? For sure?" She looked at him, not sure what emotion to be feeling.

"Yeah, definitely, I'm absolutely sure..." He smiled which put her at ease all of a sudden.

"Now tell me honestly, I don't mind what the answer is, just be honest... How long have you known for?"

"Only since yesterday, I swear. When I ran out of the house I went to the chemists to buy the test. I was in a rush so I didn't tell you. I'm sorry, I should have done, it would have been easier."

"No don't worry, you've told me now and that's all that matters. When did you start to have suspicions? Have you been feeling ill?"

"I wouldn't say ill, I just felt a bit strange. Then I remembered that I had missed my period so that kinda joined up the dots. I thought it would be best to confirm before getting too carried away." He turned round by ninety degrees so that he was facing her and placed his hands on her stomach.

"Well it looks like we're going to be a slightly bigger family now then. Ellie is going to get a brother or sister." He didn't look at Clara, he just smiled whilst looking at her abdomen. He seemed happy with the events, that made Clara relax. She didn't know what she would have done if he hadn't wanted another baby. That would have made the situation entirely different.

"It does indeed... So you're sure that you are one hundred percent happy with it all?" Now he looked up at her.

"Yeah of course! Why wouldn't I be? Look, you, Ellie and this little one are all that matter to me and I will do everything I can to make sure that I protect you all. Speaking of protecting you, how's your head?" He lifted his hand up to gently touch the big purplely bruise that was forming on her forehead. She tried hard not to wince, she didn't like to show him that she was in pain but it did really hurt.

"It's okay really, I just need to be more careful with how I arrange my shelves at work." Danny laughed.

"Or you could grow a bit taller? So that you can actually reach the shelf? Little elf." She hit his chest playfully whilst he laughed at his own mockery.

"Oi you! I am not an elf! I'm just an extremely small person." He laughed whilst stroking her hair back and looking into her eyes lovingly.

"Yeah you are, but your fiery personality sure does make up for it." He went into kiss her but she spoke first.

"Shut up. You love it." She leant forwards and kissed him. They embraced the moment and all of the stress from the afternoon disappeared...

**And that's that! New chapter will be up the same time next week hopefully, it depends on how much revision I decide to do ;) thank you so much for reading x**


	10. Chapter 10- Changes

**Here's chapter 12! Lots of pinkwald + Ellie cuteness in this one, enjoyy ;) x**

Changes

Ellie ran into Danny and Clara's room and woke them up suddenly. Clara sighed and rolled over to see her more clearly. Danny looked at the clock to see that the time was 6:30, far to early.

"Are you both okay now?" She pulled a sad face as she crawled on to the bed and into the middle of them. The duvet moved into the middle leaving Danny and Clara half covered.

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't we be okay?" Danny pulled Ellie closer to give her a hug of reassurance.

"Because you were shouting and being not very nice to each other last night." She looked down and snuggled into his chest. Clara gave Danny a look, they were going to have to tell her now. She needed to know what they were arguing about.

"Don't worry about that, we're okay now, it was just a little argument. Sorry if we scared you." Clara sighed as she stroked Ellie's hair. "But there is something that you need to know. Things are going to change around here quite soon..." Ellie sat up, alert and ready to hear what was going to be said.

"Is mummy poorly? Or daddy?" As she said it she looked at both of them seeking comfort.

"No! Mummy and daddy are fine! Why would we be poorly?"

"Because last time when mummy was poorly we had to go to the hospital and things changed lots and lots." Clara was surprised that Ellie remembered any of that. She was only young and it all happened in a state of panic.

"No, no don't worry, that's not happening again. It's something good... Mummy is having a baby! You're going to be a big sister! How does that sound?" The biggest smile appeared on her face.

"Really!" She was speechless, bless her.

"Yeah, and you can help with everything! It will be fun!" Suddenly she started to look around as though she was trying to find something. Danny looked at her, confused.

"Hey, hey, what are you looking for?" Him and Clara laughed as she continued to examine the room like a lost puppy.

"Where is it? I can't see any baby's!" She threw her hands out to the side of her to show that she didn't understand. They all laughed again.

"It's not here yet, the baby is in mummy's tummy! It needs to grow bigger before you can see it." She moved to sit on her knees so that she was closer to Clara. Then the pointed at her tummy and gently placed her hand on it. She was in complete awe at the idea of the baby being inside Clara. She didn't quite understand how. They found it hilarious to watch.

"It's in there? Is there a baby in my tummy too?" She moved her hand so that she could point to her own stomach. Clara laughed and kissed her head.

"No darling, you don't have a baby! Only mummy has one." She stared at Clara, clearly confused at the idea.

"Why?" Clara looked at Danny, the question that they didn't want to come up had arisen. She didn't know what to say. After a pause, she mustered up an answer.

"Because mummy is very special and is old enough to be a mummy. You're too little!" She tickled Ellie's podgy tummy which made her squirm and wriggle. She had got to the age now where she was getting taller and more like a toddler but she still had her baby fat. It kept her looking like a tiny little girl. Clara didn't want her to grow up, she wanted her to stay little forever. She knew that could never happen though.

"Will it be a boy baby or a girl baby?"

"We don't know yet, we have to wait until it gets a bit bigger to find out."

"Oh okay. I want it to be a girl so we can play together and I can do her hair like you do my hair." Clara and Danny laughed.

"Well it might be a girl! But it could be a boy. We will have to wait and see." She screwed up her face in disgust. "What's that face for!?"

"I don't want it to be a boy, boys are smelly." They all giggled and Danny pretended to be upset. Ellie crawled over to him and hugged him tightly whist laughing to herself. "Smelly daddy!" Danny tickled her and then Clara joined in. In that moment all of them forgot everything, every worry, every thought. They could have stayed there all day.

3 months later

Clara was now clearly pregnant. She had got to the annoying stage now where everyday activities were becoming harder to do. Ellie wasn't being as helpful as she could be as she seemed to want to do everything when she wanted. That meant that she kept shouting for Clara to do things when the time was really not appropriate.

"Mummy! Mummy! Mummy!" Clara sighed. She had just started to do the washing up when Ellie shouted for her again.

"What is it Ellie?"

"Can you help me get my toy down from the shelf?" She was shouting from the living room and Clara couldn't clearly hear what she was saying.

"You'll have to wait for a minute, I'm doing the washing up." It went silent for a second and then the sound of little feet entered the room. Ellie started to tug on Clara dress in attempt to get her attention.

"Mummy, mummy, mummy!" She was gradually getting louder and more whiny as she kept shouting for Clara.

"Ellie! Wait! I'm busy!"

"But MUMMY!" That was it, Clara had been putting off telling her off for doing this. It wasn't going to work anymore. She had to learn to wait for things rather than getting them as soon as she wanted. Clara pulled her hands out of the water and dried them on the nearest towel. She then knelt down so that she was at Ellie's height.

"Look, you can see that mummy is busy so you have to wait!"

"But I want my toy." She began to whine and cry.

"I know you want your toy but you have to wait until I can come and get it. You can't always get everything when you want it, sometimes you have to be patient. I'll get you your toy in a few minutes but not until I have finished what I am doing. Why don't you go and draw a picture for grandad? And then I'll get your toy for you." Ellie stopped crying and looked up. She still looked upset but it seemed like what Clara had said made sense to her. "I don't want to keep telling you off but sometimes you have to be a good girl and help mummy a bit, yeah?" Ellie nodded and went back into the living room. Clara sighed, she had finally told her to stop. It wasn't that she didn't realise that she had to tell her, or that she didn't want to, it was that her mind had been pretty preoccupied lately. She just hadn't got round to it.

A few minutes later Clara walked into the other room and got the toy off of the shelf.

"There you go, see if you wait you still get what you want, it just takes a little bit longer." Ellie smiled and jumped to hug Clara. Her knee dug into her stomach making her wince slightly. "Hey, hey, careful! Be gentle! You might hurt baby!"

"Sorry mummy and baby, I'll start being good now!" Ellie smiled again. It wasn't a normal smile though, it was a mischievous smile.

"Oh really? Will you? Are you absolutely sure about that?" Clara began to tickle Ellie and she wriggled around just like she always did.

"Yes! Mummy! Stop it!" She giggled and tried to talk at the same time which made her make the funniest of noises. Once they had stopped laughing Ellie asked to watch frozen again. Clara reluctantly put it on knowing that it made her happy. Suddenly Ellie went all floppy in her arms and relaxed to stare at the TV.

"You tired honey?" Clara knew what the answer would be as laying still in her arms only happened when she had no energy left. It was a definite sign of tiredness.

"Mmhmm." She flopped her head down again and Clara adjusted to make herself more comfortable. They sat cuddling each other until the movie finished.

When the title sequence began to play Danny walked in the door. He had been out with a friend all day and was about to tell Clara all about it when she told him to shush. He stopped himself from speaking or making too much noise when he saw Ellie asleep on Clara's lap.

"Can you move her?" Clara whispered to him realising that moving her herself would be a bit difficult. Danny gently lifted her and placed her on the sofa with a blanket over her. He then grabbed Clara's hands and helped her up. They walked over to the window to look over at the park across the road.

"So how was it? Did you have a nice day?" Danny kissed her head gently before relying.

"Yeah it was really nice, we had a good catch up. It wasn't until we met and got talking that we realised how long we had lost touch for. So much has happened since college."

"Time flies, eh?"

"It does, sometimes too fast... We got talking about the 'old times' when we were teens. It was funny remembering all of the people and the teachers. I'd forgotten most of it until Jack mentioned it." Clara chuckled thinking about what she was going to say next.

"Well you can remember more than me, I was drunk for most of it, I have no idea what happened." Danny laughed, trying to imagine a permanently drunk Clara.

"Those were the days." They both sighed. Danny placed his hands on Clara's stomach. He stroked it gently, speaking to the baby.

"And we're gonna find out whether you are a boy or a girl tomorrow!" Clara smiled, he was such a good dad, how did she deserve him? Sometimes she really wondered.

"I'm excited. It will be good to know so that we can get some planning done. It will also give Ellie something else to keep mentioning. All I've been hearing for the last two weeks is "is it a boy or a girl mummy!?"" Danny smiled again looking over to Ellie who was fast asleep on the sofa beside them.

"Bless her, she's buzzing. She's going to be an amazing big sister."

"She is indeed. A very protective one too."

"Definitely. Well at least we can rely on her to chase away the bullies." Clara laughed.

"So what's your bet on? Ten pounds. Who ever guesses the right gender gets the money?"

"Oh really!? So our child's sex has come down to a bet has it? Right then, I'm thinking girl. Another little princess." Clara smiled sweetly at him, he sure did know how to spoil a girl.

"Alright then, I'll go for boy. May the best man win!" They both grinned and continued to look out of the window. Clara leant on Danny and he put his arms around her torso. They stood watching the world pass by and listening to the birds sing.

The next morning Ellie was buzzing. She ran backwards and forwards in the living room chanting the same thing over and over again. Clara and Danny didn't even mind, they were glad that she was so happy.

"Baby scan! Baby scan!" She repeated what Clara and Danny had told her about. She had been counting down the days until she could finally say whether she was getting a little brother or a little sister. Clara smiled down at Ellie as she walked over to the door to put on her coat.

"Come on then, let's get your coat and shoes on!" Ellie screamed yay as she ran to the shoe cupboard.

When they got to the hospital Ellie got a little bit quieter. It was obvious that she was uneasy about hospitals. After what had happened to Clara before and from various injections and check ups she had grown to dislike the place.

"Daddy, hospitals are scary. I don't like them." She teared up as Danny got her out of the car.

"Hey don't worry! Me and mummy are here to keep you safe and this time we are here for a good reason! It's all going to be okay." He picked her up and hugged her gently. He held her in one arm and held Clara's hand on the other side. They walked in happily to be directed to a small waiting room. It had a few sofas, a coffee table, a water machine and some toys in the corner. Ellie wriggled to be put down and she ran straight to the toys. Typical three year old, Danny thought to himself. Clara headed for the sofa to sit down and Danny soon joined her. The wait seemed like forever but soon enough a nurse walked in and asked for them.

"Miss Clara Oswald?" She looked like a friendly person which reassured Clara a bit more. She had her hair in a tight bun on the back of her head and was holding a clipboard that seemed to have lots of names on it. Danny picked up Ellie and carried her out of the door. She seemed fascinated by the nurses clipboard. She kept trying to reach for it which made Danny laugh. The woman suddenly stopped to take them into a room which shocked Ellie. She pulled her hand back suddenly and tightly hugged Danny's neck. He kissed her on the head to reassure her.

When they entered the room she directed Clara to lay on the bed and then welcomed Danny to sit on the chair beside it.

"So how is everyone today then? Excited?" She smiled at Ellie who was quietly grinning at her.

"Yes very much so! Especially this little one!" Danny spoke to her happily as they engaged in conversation. After having a short chat she got to work. Danny grabbed Clara's hand as she looked at him, seeking comfort.

"Okay this will be a little bit cold." She applied the gel and began to fiddle with the machine. They all waited intently. Eventually she moved the head of the machine on to Clara's stomach and moved it sideways. Everyone looked at the screen to see a little bit of movement. The baby soon came into focus and they could make out its features. The woman pointed to everything and explained the routine things that they had to go through.

"Look Ellie! There's the baby!" Clara helped her on to the edge of the bed so that she could see the screen better. Her eyes widened and she couldn't quite believe that that was her baby brother or sister.

"Baby!" She smiled and stared again in complete awe. "Is it a baby girl or a baby boy?" She asked Clara who then looked at the nurse.

"Would you like to know the gender? Or-" She was interrupted by Ellie shouting.

"Yes!" They all laughed.

"Yes please." Clara confirmed Ellie's answer.

"Okay, it's a girl." Ellie's smile widened even more.

"Wow Ellie! You're going to have a baby sister!" Clara laughed and smiled across at Danny. Ellie kept smiling but didn't say anything, they could tell that she was happy but she had gotten a bit shy since the nurse spoke to her directly. Danny picked her up off the bed and took her back on to the chair. The nurse finished everything up and signalled to Clara that it was okay for her to sit up. After a long conversation about safety and precautions they left the room. As they walked past the reception they picked up the sonograms. There was one for them and one for another family member. Danny handed one to Ellie to look at in the car and Clara put the other one in her bag.

Ellie chattered the whole way home. She was the most excited they had ever seen her be.

"Will baby look like this when she's born?" Danny laughed and whispered to Clara.

"God, I hope not." They both laughed before answering to Ellie.

"No darling, she will look a bit more like you! That's just what she looks like now as she's growing." For the first time in about ten minutes Ellie went quiet for a few seconds, until she thought of something else to say.

"Can I choose her name?" Clara turned and smiled.

"Well, you can choose some ideas and help me and daddy decide?" She nodded her head and smiled.

"What about Elsa? Or Anna?" Clara and Danny burst out laughing. The thought of them naming their daughter after a Frozen princess was rather funny.

"Well I don't think we will choose those ones but nice ideas Ellie, keep thinking! Why don't you give your little mouth a rest and have a think now?" Ellie reluctantly stopped asking questions and looked out of the window. Before long she was fast asleep. All of the excitement had worn her out.

"Ahh peace at last! God she can talk!" Clara had to admit that she agreed with Danny. As much as they loved hearing her mad ideas and her cute little voice, it did start to get tiring when she kept asking questions. Especially when she wanted to name her baby sister Elsa...

When they got home Danny placed Ellie on the sofa and let her sleep for a little bit longer. He then walked into the kitchen to join Clara who had leant herself against the worktop.

"So, you happy?" She leant forwards to kiss his nose.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?" He grinned.

"Because you lost the bet." She had to think about what he had said for a moment to remember what he was on about. It made her laugh that he thought to bring that up now, of all things.

"Mr Pink, you are just too competitive." She reached into her purse and took out the ten pound note. She waved it in front of his face and he tried to grab it with his hand. She started to wave it faster and she laughed at Danny chasing it around. Finally he grabbed it. She sighed and pulled a sad face.

"Aww poor Miss Oswald lost the game, what a shame!" He mocked her jokingly. Then he kissed her softly with his hands resting on her hips. She started to laugh playfully as he looked into her eyes and stroked her hair.

"So umm, since I lost the bet... Does that mean I get the other privilege? You got the ten pounds so I get to choose the baby's name?" His mouth opened wide in surprise making her laugh again.

"Not a chance! That's way more important than a ten pound note! Not a fair deal, not a fair deal." She smiled and tried to think of a compromise. Eventually she gave in and settled the bet.

"Okay, we will just have to decide together then won't we?"

"Certainly." They walked back into the living room and switched on the TV. Ellie moved up and snuggled down on Clara to go back to sleep. They all sat happily reflecting on what a great day they had had.

**So this chapter was a bit of a domestic one, not too much happened but you will see why in the next few chapters. It was kind of like a break in the action as the next ones are going to be pretty action packed ;) thank you for reading, I love you all x**


	11. Chapter 11- Bad Timing Pt1

**A nice dramatic, slightly dangerous, two parter for you... Enjoy :)x**

Bad Timing Part One

Nine months pregnant. More like nine months of being uncomfortable, she thought to herself as she heaved herself out of bed. She walked to the wardrobe door to put on her dressing gown. As she walked she rubbed her stomach, the little one was not so little now. It was tiring. She had always said that she loved the end results of pregnancy but not the months in the middle. Everyone had told her that being pregnant wasn't as bad as she thought it would be but now she had experienced it she totally disagreed. Quite frankly, she hated it. It wasn't just the fact that she had to wait ages to see her baby, it was that she couldn't do everyday things. Like she couldn't pick up Ellie or sit on the floor without having to be heaved back up. She hated not being her usual mobile self, she just wanted to see her baby. Her due date was in three days time so she was counting down the hours until everything could move along. That time couldn't come sooner...

She waddled downstairs to see Ellie and Danny dancing in front of the TV. She laughed to herself and walked to sit on the sofa.

"Morning my little party goers!" Danny's head shot round. He hadn't realised that she was there and was slightly embarrassed. It was all very well dancing around like an idiot in front of your three year old daughter but in front of your wife was another story.

"Oh morning... Ha, umm, we were just, just-" He tried to configure an explanation but Ellie got in there first.

"Dancing!"

"Yeah, that!" Danny pointed down to Ellie who started to laugh.

"Yeah I can see that! Right pair of groovers!" Danny laughed and moved to sit next to her on the sofa.

"How you feeling this morning? Okay?" She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Achy, fat, heavy and fed up." He laughed a little and stroked her head.

"Aww come on, you can do it. Not long now. Give it... Two days, I predict, and we will have a beautiful baby girl and a very excited big sister on our hands."

"I hope so, I just want to see her. I'm getting over-maternal." They chuckled and Danny moved his hands to rest on her stomach. He spoke to the baby soothingly.

"Come on little princess! We can't wait to meet you!" Ellie ran over and leant on Danny's knee.

"Can I talk to baby?" Clara smiled widely.

"Of course you can darling. Say something nice to make her want to come and see us sooner!" She grinned and moved to sit on the floor in front of Clara. She put both of her hands on her stomach carefully and began to speak.

"Hello baby. Can you come out soon please? I want to see you and be your big sister. I'm going to look after you for ever and ever and you're going to be called Elsa. I love you lots and lots." She kissed Clara's bump and looked up at them. Clara's heart melted. That was the cutest thing she had ever seen, it brought a tear to her eye which she tried to hide from Ellie. "Was that okay mummy?"

"Yes that was beautiful darling! She's a very lucky little girl!" She cupped Ellie's face in her hands and brought her forwards to kiss her head. Ellie stood up with a proud look on her face.

"Can we call baby Elsa?" She did her sweetest smile which normally reduced Clara to a grin herself. It was the smile that she couldn't say no to, apart from this time. There was no way she was calling her daughter Elsa...

"No probably not sweetie, it's not really the sort of name we wanted to choose. Have you got any other ideas?" She smiled and put on her thinking face.

"Anna?" Danny and Clara smiled again. Another no no.

"Maybe not that one either... Anything else?" After a short pause Ellie answered.

"Lily?" This time neither of them answered straight away. They sat in silence thinking about the name. There was something about it that they really liked.

"That's a nice name, maybe we could call her that?" Danny thought about it carefully and then placed the decision on Clara.

"I like Lily too actually. Yeah." They all sat in silence thinking about what had just been said. They never knew Ellie could think of such a nice idea. Where had she even heard the name before? She was only three, it's not like she knows that many people. She never ceased to amaze them. She really was incredible.

Later on, when they we're all dressed, the house had drifted back to its normal noisy self. Danny was doing some marking whilst singing and using his pen as a drumstick. Ellie was dancing and singing to the TV that was on as background noise and Clara was cleaning the kitchen whilst managing to drop things everywhere. When she got round to the fridge she stopped and examined what was stuck on there. It was full of memories and various reminders of everyday errands that needed to be run. In one corner was all of their magnets. Danny had set himself a task of buying a magnet from every place they went so that they could build up a wall of memories of their holidays and trips. So far it had worked really well, it was a nice reminder for them all. Below that was bundle of the good luck letters and cards from Clara's Coal Hill pupils. She never knew that so many of them cared for her and looked up to her, it was quite touching. There was a card with a full written message in it from Georgia, a student whom she had become rather close to over the past two years. There was even a short note from Courtney. When she had given Clara it at the end of class on her last day she was speechless. She really had no idea that Courtney would even consider her wellbeing. It was nice to see. She had dropped the 'Ozzie loves the Squaddie' thing as it was common knowledge at school now and moved on to being one of the best students in Clara's classes. It really was a huge transformation. One that Clara was secretly quite proud of, the Doctor did her good. She continued to trace along the front of the fridge when Ellie tugging her skirt broke through her thoughts.

"Mummy, what are we doing today?" She looked up longingly.

"You're going to stay with Grandad for a few days remember! So that me and daddy can have some time together before the baby comes." It had been mutually agreed that Ellie would stay with her dad over the time the baby was due so that it was easier. Danny and Clara would have enough to think about without Ellie as well. It made sense.

"Oh yeah, when can I go?" She was keen to see her grandad as usual.

"We're going to take you in a few minutes, yeah?" She smiled and went to pack her bag.

After Ellie had gone it was eerily silent. It wasn't horrible but it just felt odd. They were so used to her running around and singing that it felt unusual without her. That aside, Clara didn't complain at the quiet sit down with Danny. They hadn't sat together in so long, it felt like forever. They sat not saying a thing. It wasn't an awkward silence, it was a nice silence. They didn't need to say anything, peace and quiet was all they needed. Suddenly it was abruptly interrupted by a large blue box appearing in the doorway. Clara was surprised to see the TARDIS appear but she was most surprised that the Doctor had parked inside the house. He had stopped doing that since Danny had been around, he must have not been thinking.

"Clara? Oh hello." He walked out of the TARDIS and greeted them like normal. It was like he had never been away even though they had actually not seen each other for ten months. Once again, just like last time he had turned up out of the blue, things had changed. Oddly in the same way as last time.

"Hey! Long time no see." She tried to stand up to hug him but then realised that she physically couldn't. Danny jumped up to help her. After one big heave she was up on her feet.

"Yeah sorry, space stuff, lost track of time. It's happened again! Why does this keep happening? Every time I come and visit you are huge!" She laughed.

"Well if you came more often you would see that I'm not always 'huge'. And, for your information, I have a reason to be huge!"

"When's it due then?" He began to walk back towards the TARDIS. Clara and Danny followed him inside.

"Any day now really, so no space travelling for a bit, sorry." Surprisingly he smiled, he didn't look that bothered. It was like the idea of Clara travelling with him again had become more distant and he had realised that it wasn't going to happen.

"That's okay, honest. Where's Ellie? Did she enjoy the rest of her birthday?"

"She's at her grandad's and yes she did thank you. It was really good. Once again, thank you for coming for a bit, that was so nice of you." The Doctor smiled and walked up the stairs and towards his bookcase. "Anyway, how have you been? Done anything exciting?" He looked round and began to answer. Before he did, suddenly the TARDIS rumbled and groaned. It began to shake side to side as it did when they were inside the time vortex. Danny grabbed on to Clara and held her safely.

"Doctor! What's going on!?" He ran back down the stairs and grabbed a hold of the screen.

"I, I don't know! The engines aren't on!? We shouldn't be moving!" He ran round to the other side of the console and tried to counteract the movement. Nothing was working.

"Doctor! Do something!" Danny moved her over to the railings so that she could hold on. He didn't want her to fall, that was the last thing they needed.

"I'm trying! I don't understand? It's like something is pulling us in, were being dragged through space. I don't think I can stop it!" He ran back to the screen again. Just as he was about to grab on to it the TARDIS shook even harder. With an almighty bang they crashed into where ever they had been sucked into.

The Doctor had been thrown across the TARDIS floor. He picked himself up and winced. His head was bleeding. It wasn't anything serious, he said to himself, just a cut. Danny groaned and sat up. Once the realisation of what had happened hit him he jumped up and ran to Clara to see if she was okay. She was laying on the floor curled up in a loose ball. She felt Danny lean over her so she shifted her head to see him.

"Clara! Are you okay!?" She tried to sit up but only managed because of Danny's support.

"Yeah I think so." As she moved slightly she winced. Her hand shot to her stomach and she massaged it softly. Danny's eyes widened.

"Where does it hurt!? Is it the baby!?" She breathed deeply to get her breath back. It didn't feel like the baby yet, her heart settled.

"No I don't think so? I think I'm just a little shaken up." The relief on Danny's face was paramount. He was really edgy, this wasn't supposed to happen today. Of all days, not today.

"Okay, but you tell me, okay, you tell me straight away if anything feels strange. Yeah?"

"Yes, I will. Don't worry, everything is going to be okay, I promise." That seemed to calm things down, he leant forwards and kissed her on the head. He then stood up to help Clara to her feet. She looked across the TARDIS to see the Doctor sat up looking confused, she immediately walked over to him.

"Doctor? Are you okay!? You're bleeding, did you hit your head, does it hurt-" He looked up and smiled.

"Clara I'm fine, stop fussing. It's just a flesh wound, nothing that won't sort itself out." She frowned at him, not quite believing what he was saying.

"Mmm, what ever you say, but don't blame me when you have a huge headache later on!" He leant on the railings to get to his feet. When he got to the console he began thinking again, completely ignoring Clara's comment.

"So the big, big, BIG question is, where are we? And then the next question is how did we get here?" Danny looked at him intently.

"So can you answer those 'big, big, BIG' questions?"

"Um, nope not yet. But I will. We need to look outside first. Wait here." He began walking towards the doors cheerfully.

"Wait Doctor! Be careful! You don't know what's out there." He shrugged what she had said off as if it was nothing.

"Pfttt, I'll be fine, what could happen? What could go wro-" As the door opened he stopped mid sentence. He was stunned into silence. After a few seconds he turned around and walked back towards them. The fear on his face was like nothing Clara had ever seen before... Well except once. She had seen it on a young mans face quite a long time ago now. A man with a bow tie and a tweed jacket. She felt dread inside her as she knew where they were. There was only one place in the universe that struck fear into a time lords heart. It could only mean one thing... Trenzalore.

"Doctor? What is it?" He stared at her without saying a thing. He was terrified.

"No, I can't be here. We need to leave now. Right now." She walked towards him.

"We're here aren't we? Don't act like I don't know because I do. I was here last time remember. I saw what it did to you. I can help you." He stared at her and the fear drained out of him slightly. And then he nodded, confirming Clara's dread.

"Hang on, would someone care to fill me in? Where are we?" Danny piped up and reminding both of them that he didn't know about what had happened.

"Long story short... We're on a planet called Trenzalore. That's bad news. Last time I was here, with him as Adrien not like now, we both nearly died. It was pretty bad." Danny's face looked increasingly more confused.

"Why here? Why is here so bad?" Clara looked down knowing that what she would say next would hurt the Doctor.

"This is the one place in the universe where he can never go, he shouldn't be here... This is where his grave is. This, this is where he is buried."

"I thought he didn't die? I thought he regenerated?" Clara took his hand.

"He does but he can only regenerate a certain amount of times until he dies. So somewhere in the future he dies and this is where it ends." Now Danny was silent, it was a lot to take in. Soon enough he had another question though.

"Can't we just take off and go back home?" The Doctor looked up and walked over.

"I've tried, were fixed to the planet, we need more energy to fuel the TARDIS. For now, we're stuck. But it's okay because I've got a plan." He started to walk out of the box and on to the planet. Danny followed him, wanting to see what was out there. Clara soon followed after but stopped when a sharp pain shot through her stomach. She leant on the console for support and breathed through the pain. Not now baby please, please don't come now. Not while we're stuck in the middle of nowhere. Once the pain had subsided she walked slowly outside. With any luck it would settle down for a bit. A lot of wishful thinking was going to be needed through the next few hours.

They began to walk away from the TARDIS. Danny was looking around in complete awe of what he was seeing. Soon he turned right around and saw the grave. The huge TARDIS shaped headstone loomed over them, casting humongous shadow.

"What is that!?" Danny exclaimed without turning his head away from it.

"That is my grave, the place that I should never go except I've been twice now... But hey! Life's just one big adventure isn't it?" He rubbed his hands together and got to work thinking about how to recharge the box. Danny continued to look around everywhere like an over-eager sightseer whilst Clara stood quietly against the door trying to keep calm. Soon enough Danny noticed her not being her usual inquisitive self so he walked over to her to keep her company.

"It's amazing! I know we're not meant to be here and that but it's pretty awesome." She smiled a fake smile to attempt to stop him getting too suspicious. She didn't want him to panic.

"Yeah... It sure is something!" As she finished speaking the pain came back again but this time it was stronger. She looked up to the sky and bit her lip to conceal it but she couldn't.

"What's wrong? Clara!?" She gave up hiding it and winced. She bent over and leant her weight on Danny's arms. He moved round to support her better.

"Ohh god, Danny I think it's the baby..." His eyes widened again and a panicked expression took over his face.

"Right okay, umm, oh my god, why now?" Despite the situation they both laughed. It was short lived though as Clara soon sighed in pain again. "Okay, okay, come and sit down." He led her to a nearby rock so that she could perch on top of it.

"Danny what are we going to do!? We're stuck here! We need to be at a hospital not on a planet a million miles away from home. Agh-" He hid his scared expression and worked on reassuring her instead.

"Look, what ever happens we will be okay. I don't know what we will do yet but I'll look after you and our baby. I promise." She smiled as the pain subsided.

"Okay, phew, it's gone for now." She rubbed the underneath of her bump in an attempt to distract herself. Behind Danny the Doctor was running up and down the mounds of rock which made her giggle. "What is he doing?" Danny smiled and turned to watch him.

"I have absolutely no idea. Thinking of a plan hopefully." Just as Clara was about to call him over he started to jog towards them.

"Doctor what are you doing?" He sat down beside Clara and started to explain.

"Well the TARDIS has run out of power. Something, or whatever brought us here, has drained it which is actually... rather annoying. So in order to take off again we need a power source and I was looking for one over there."

"And did you find one?" She was desperately hoping that he had.

"Nope, I don't know what on this planet will give us power. Everything is just boring rocks, no power to be seen." Clara sighed and Danny looked at her. He was starting to panic.

"Well we need to find one quickly." The Doctor looked round and faced Clara.

"Is there any sort of rush?"

"Well yes actually... This baby has decided to make its way into the world at the most inconvenient time possible. So we kinda need to get back to Earth as soon as." He looked at her with a concerned look. That was not good news, he had to actually think of a way back now, his old plan wasn't going to work.

"What!? It's coming now!? That's, that's bad right?"

"Yes so we need to hurry up, like now." She was trying not to sound too panicked but she really was panicking now. This could be dangerous, really dangerous. They had to get home now, there was no way around it. The situation had just got ten times more serious.

They got up and began to walk towards the grave stone. Clara could tell that the Doctor was anxious. It made her feel worried, because he was normally the one that wasn't scared of anything and always knew what to do next. Even he was struggling for ideas. They didn't even know why they were there let alone how to get home. But despite this, the Doctor seemed determined to think of an idea so Clara allowed his mind to wander. Soon they got to the door of the tomb. It felt eerie. Like something was going to happen. Like they weren't meant to be there. What must have brought them there can't have been good. It brought back so many memories, and not good ones at that. After all they did both nearly die there, it was bound to stir things up a bit.

"So this is it... My tomb. I really didn't expect I'd see this place again any time soon." He walked towards the door and got out his sonic screwdriver. After a few failed attempts to open it he gave up. "Right so that's locked and we need to get inside. Great."

"Why do we need to get in there? What's in there?" Danny was still one step behind.

"In the centre of there is a whole time stream. A time stream that nearly killed us both last time we were here. But that aside, it has power, lots of power. I think I would be able to link it up to the TARDIS and stream the power inside. Then we could take off and go home. But it's locked so we need another way in." Clara sighed, placing her hands on her hips. It made her giggle how the Doctor dumbed everything down so that Danny could understand. She couldn't imagine a life not knowing about all of that stuff now, she had known it for too long. Danny, however, was just starting to learn it.

"Aren't there any other doors?" The Doctor began walking around the sides.

"Well that's the thing, there should be. We're just going to have an explore I'm afraid." He tried to hide his excitement but he didn't do it very well. She could tell that he couldn't wait to find out what had caused all of this. He wanted danger, which just happened to be the one thing that she really didn't want or need right now. He walked on ahead leaving Danny and Clara stood together.

"Come on, I know it's not ideal but we're going to have to have a look around." She smiled and took a deep breath. This was going to be interesting...

When they got around the corner the planet opened up to a huge wide landscape. There were rocks and mountains for all the eye could see. As they cast their eyes down they saw the thousands of grave stones that painted the floor beneath them. It was an amazing sight but didn't really help them in any way so the Doctor dismissed it. He turned away from the cliff and walked to his right, around the tomb. Soon enough they came to a tunnel like structure. It looked distinctly like a corridor inside the TARDIS.

"Hey that's a TARDIS corridor isn't it?" Clara pointed to it and smiled slightly. The Doctor, however, looked hesitant. He wasn't convinced.

"It could be, let's have a look inside." As they walked in the outside world was separated from them by a door. They were trapped inside what looked like the TARDIS, that was not what he wanted. "Ahh and were stuck, again. That's what I feared. We just best hope that this isn't a trap." The Doctor and Danny walked on a bit whilst Clara continued to struggle. The pain was coming back again now. It felt stronger but not the same as last time. It felt lower, which could only be a bad sign. She began to breathe through it again, that was the only way to reduce the pain.

"Danny..." She stopped to lean on him. He tried to support her as best he could but he didn't really know what he was doing. He put his arm around her and helped her while she walked.

"Everyone alright!?" The Doctor called from the end of the corridor ahead. Clara grimaced and gave him a look. He was too cheery for her liking. He didn't realise the importance of the situation which made him slightly annoying.

"Nope... Not really." He looked at her sympathetically not really knowing how to reply.

"It won't be too long, I promise. I'll get us out of here." She attempted a smile but not much came out of it.

"Okay great but you better do something pretty amazing pretty quietly or were in trouble." She was now taking the no nonsense approach because it seemed to make him work faster. He saw her sense of urgency so walked on a little further. Further down the corridor it got a bit darker and things looked more old and damaged. He walked cautiously. After a few steps the ground began to crunch beneath his feet. His eyes shot open and he stood deadly still.

"Stay, right, there. Don't move on to here." He didn't moved a muscle whilst speaking.

"Why? What's wrong?" Danny walked slightly forwards.

"No, no, no, don't come forwards! The floor-" It cracked and fell from under him and he disappeared down a hole.

"DOCTOR!" Clara shouted for him but all they heard was a loud thump at the bottom of the drop and then a deadly silence. She looked downwards as best she could but she couldn't see a thing. She started to think the worst. What were they going to do now?

**So there's the first half! What are they going to do? Will the Doctor be okay? Will Clara and her baby be okay? Will they ever get home? You'll have to wait and see ;) x**


	12. Chapter 12- Bad Timing Pt two

**Part two! I'm so so excited for this chapter so here it goes! **

**P.s Sorry not sorry, it's dramatic again... **

Bad Timing Part 2

Clara called down the dark hole once more to check for any noise. Nothing could be heard. She began to panic and tears fell down her cheeks. Her hand whipped to her stomach again as she sobbed through the increasing pain.

"Danny what if he's seriously hurt? How are we going to get to him? What if we can't get home? What about the baby?! I can't have it here! Danny what are we going to-" He held her hand and stroked her head gently.

"Hey, hey, hey! Look calm down! You getting yourself in a state isn't going to help anyone. I'm sure he's okay and if he isn't we will sort it... And as for the baby, if worst comes to worst we'll cope, everything will be fine. I promise. Is it another contraction?" She nodded her head and continued to sob. She rocked backwards and forwards on her knees in attempt to distract and calm herself down. "It's okay, it's okay, I'm here, calm down." He whispered to her to reassure her. Eventually she calmed down and stopped crying. She motioned for Danny to help her up. She then walked towards the end of the corridor that they would have gone to if the Doctor hadn't have fallen. Before they walked around the corner she stopped and checked for any noise once more. Nothing. She sighed and they walked on. They had to get down a level somehow.

Meanwhile the Doctor lay flat on his back slightly dazed. As he slowly became aware of his surroundings he looked up at the gaping hole he had just fallen down. It was directly above him and it looked very far away. He must have fallen a long way. That could only be bad news. After a few minutes he came back to complete consciousness. He sat up slowly only to be stopped by a excruciating pain in his back. It wasn't broken but it was badly bruised. His arms felt heavy and his vision was blurry. After sitting up he began to feel lightheaded. Just before he fell back into a deep sleep an overwhelming feeling came over him. It was familiar yet new. Nice yet slightly uncomfortable. For a second he didn't know what was going on until he looked at his hand and saw the orangey-yellow glow erupting from him.

Clara and Danny continued to slowly walk round each corner. It felt like miles and miles. It wasn't helped by the fact that every corridor looked exactly the same. They couldn't tell if they were making progress or not.

"Are we even going anywhere? Are you sure we're not just walking back and forth?" Danny looked at Clara for a response. She stopped for a second for a break from walking and considered her answer.

"I honestly have no idea... We could be making progress but we could not be. The inside of the TARDIS is a maze just like this. It's the safety mechanism. When it's scared it makes an impossible maze to stop what ever is inside it from getting into its heart. There's really no way of knowing whether we're going the right way or not." She looked down, clearly not coping with the situation. This wasn't meant to be happening. Well not like this anyway.

"So that means that we have a fifty percent chance of going the right way, right?" She nodded and smiled. Once a maths teacher, always a maths teacher. "So that means that surely it's worth a try? It's not like we have any other option is it? It's an adventure."

"Not really in an adventure mood but yeah okay, it's worth a try." They walked on hand in hand hoping for the best.

The Doctor started to breathe more heavily as the energy took over his body.

"No... No!" He tried to fight it but it was too strong. He didn't want to change, he didn't know what was going to happen. Suddenly the yellow light exploded out of him and then faded away. It left almost as quickly as it had came. The Doctor faded into a light sleep. The regeneration had left him exhausted. A few minutes later he opened his eyes slowly and looked up at the hole above him again. With a sigh he got up and walked on the spot to stretch his legs. He started to contemplate where he was when he suddenly remembered what had just happened. He quickly flung his hands up to his head and face and felt them to see if they had changed. He sighed a sigh of relief when he realised that they hadn't. It had just been a partial regeneration. That didn't make it okay though. He kicked himself for not being careful enough. It was a waste of regeneration energy that could have been used in a more serious situation. His mind wandered until he looked behind him and all of the memories flooded back. In the centre of the tomb was the glowing light he had been looking for. The time energy that he needed. As much as he was pleased that he had found it, he was slightly scared too. The memories of him nearly losing Clara and then nearly losing himself came back and made him a lot more cautious. He slowly walked towards it being careful that it wasn't a trap. After all, it was last time. There was no way of knowing. He got closer and walked around it in a circle. Suddenly he heard a whisper and then a creak. His movement stopped dead still. He recognised the sound but he didn't want to believe what it was. The whispers intensified until he was surrounded. There was no way out...

The corridors continued to confused them and they were getting fed up of walking. Neither of them were saying anything, they were just walking aimlessly. Clara was struggling but still kept on thinking of ideas to help them.

"Wait? The Doctor fell downwards, right? So that means that there must be another level beneath us. Maybe we've got the wrong idea? Maybe we should be looking to move downwards rather than forwards?" Danny looked at her apprehensively. He wasn't sure of the idea. "Come on, it's worth a try! We might find him then."

"Okay, but how are we going to get downwards? It's not like there's any stairs?" See grinned at him. He was such an amateur.

"There doesn't always have to be stairs, what about holes in the floor? Or corridors that go a different way?" He smiled at her, secretly they were both enjoying this.

"You know, despite the circumstances, you're doing very well! You're good at this adventure business." She grinned.

"Well what can I say? I've had an excellent teacher." As she finished speaking she leant forwards again in pain. Danny leapt towards her to hold her hands. She breathed through it but it was getting stronger.

"Danny... I need to sit down, like now." He held her hands and her back to help her down to the floor. There was nothing higher to sit on. Tears began to well in her eyes again.

"It's okay, it's okay." He kept saying the same thing over and over again as he didn't know what else he could say. He didn't know what to do in a situation like this. All he could do was be a reassuring husband, even that was proving hard now though.

"Ahh this one is worse." He kissed her head and said nothing. After a few more minutes Clara spoke for the first time. It surprised Danny as it wasn't anything like what he had expected her to say.

"Look! Over there, there's at hatch in the floor." He laughed at the change in conversation and mood. He got up and ran over. With a few tugs the hatch came away from the floor. He looked down and saw stairs leading downwards.

"Haha! Stairs!" He ran back over to Clara who was sat against the wall smiling slightly.

"I knew there would be something somewhere." After helping her up they walked toward the hatch. This was going to be the difficult part. The drop wasn't too big but Clara wasn't really up to jumping down hatches, was she?

"Umm, me first? Or you? I can help you down from up here or catch you when I'm already down?" She looked at the drop and tried to make a conscious decision.

"You first, then you can try your best to catch me." She winked at him and he smiled. Once he was down he stood back a bit and braced himself. Clara sat on the edge, hesitant to fall.

"I'll support you, I promise, I've got you." She nodded in reassurance. She slowly dropped and was caught safely by Danny. He breathed a sigh of relief. It would have been dangerous to drop her. They looked around at where they had just fallen to to get their bearings and then began to follow the stairs downwards. They spiralled round like they would in a big posh house. It made them both feel threatened, like something wasn't right.

"One thing I don't quite get... Why are there stairs here? I mean we're in outer space on a strange planet not in an old house? Why would there be a nice, old fashioned stair case?" Clara continued to walk without saying a thing. He had a point. The more she thought about it, the more it worried her. Something wasn't right but right now she couldn't see what it was.

"Ahh Doctor! We meet again I see." A strange man walked through the gathering of Whispermen that had crowded around him. The Doctor looked down to see him arms being held tightly so that he had no chance of doing anything clever. Then he looked up at the mans face. He didn't recognise him at all, actually he hadn't the faintest idea who he was. That obviously wasn't the same the other way round though.

"And who might you be?" The man laughed evilly. It echoed throughout the room and made the Doctor shudder slightly.

"What? You mean to say that you don't know who I am?" He began pacing up and down. His face was half covered by a black mask which contrasted with his black outfit. He obviously was playing a game, one that the Doctor didn't quite understand yet.

"No, I'm afraid I don't. Should I?" He suddenly stopped walking and turned sharply to face the Doctor. He began to use his arms to over emphasise what he was saying.

"Oh Doctor, Doctor, Doctor. The Doctor doesn't know! You've been to the corners of the universe, you've seen wonders, you've seen death and destruction. I thought you knew everyone!? The Doctor never forgets a face, does he?" The over-confidence of his persona began to annoy the Doctor. He hated being shown up, especially by someone he didn't know.

"Sorry you must have slipped my mind. You can't be very important then? I mean, like you said, I never forget a face. Especially when they are someone worth remembering." They danced through each other's sarcasm. This wasn't interrogation, it was competition.

"Well, well, you may live to regret that Doctor."

"And why would I do that?" He wriggled around in the Whispermen's grasp. They were stronger than they looked.

"Enough questions now. I don't have time to answer that. I'm much more important than you realise you see, I have power. Single handedly I will kill you. Oh no, wait, I won't do it. That would be immoral! You will do it." Once again his confidence made the Doctor feel uneasy. He had too much of an ego, it was unusual.

"How do expect that to happen? Come on. What's your master plan? What do you need me to do?"

"I don't need you to do anything. I'm going to make you do something... I presume you know what that is behind you?" He pointed through the Doctor to the beam of time energy.

"Yes."

"Well there you go. All of your past and future in one place. Your whole time stream up for grabs. Whatcha gonna do big bad timelord?" The pranced over his words and played with the Doctor's thoughts.

"You seem to know what you are talking about so I'll leave you to tell me that."

"You see, I'm guessing you know what happens when you go inside your own time stream? Yeah, it sorta goes a bit like- boom, caboosh, squish! You get the idea. So that's what is going to happen. You are going to walk into your own time stream and make it collapse. The end of the Doctor is in sight and there's nothing you can do about it... Poor Clara! What would she do without you? She sure needs you now, what with the baby and everything. What a shame to see that all go to waste. Poor, poor Doctor. Last of the timelords... Or wait, is he? That's a story for another day." The Doctor's head shot up. The fact that he was most probably going to be killed was thrown aside and he focused on the last part.

"What did you say? About the timelords? Do you know where they are!?" The man laughed and began to pace backwards and forwards again.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't... But guess what?"

"What?! Tell me." The Doctor was getting aggravated. He had waited so long to hear word of where the timelords were and now he had practically been given it on a plate. He couldn't waste this chance to find out some information about his people.

"I'm not going to tell you because I'm nice like that. But I'll tell you what I am going to make you do... Oh no wait, silly me, you already know that." The Doctor seethed through his anger and frustration.

"What makes you think that I will do it? You have nothing to make me, do you?"

"You may think not but let me remind you who else is in the area." His eyes widened as the realisation hit him.

"No! You leave them alone, they've done nothing wrong!"

"I know, such a shame for them to die, such nice people. So much future ahead of them... Oh well, I guess you're just going to have to jump in then?" He grinned at the Doctor who looked defeated. He had no way out.

"Alright then, if I've got no choice. But what's going to stop me from jumping back out again?"

"You jump out alive, they die. You stay in there and you die, they live. Simple as that. Come on Doctor, sacrifice yourself. You know you want to." The Whispermen pulled him towards the light and he attempted to resist but they were too strong.

"No! No! No! Stop, you can't do this!" He tried to turn to look at the man but he couldn't move his head round far enough.

"Oh but Doctor, I can! And I have! Look who's won, me... Oh and Doctor? I'll miss you terribly." With a smug smile and cackle he signalled for the Whispermen to throw him in. With a small push he was gone. The man laughed, soaking in his self-glory.

Clara and Danny continued to walk down the stairs after stopping and starting quite a few times. The contractions were getting stronger and much more close together. Clara was panicking uncontrollably now. Eventually they got to the bottom and turned the corner. They stood carefully under the arch of the entrance and peered inside to see what the noise was. As soon as Clara saw the time stream and the Whispermen she jumped back around the corner.

"Clara, what is it?" Danny whispered before joining her.

"We can't go in there." She took another deep breath and placed her hands on her hips to take the weight off of her back.

"What were those things?"

"They were the reason why we were here last time and they are probably behind it this time too. They're called the Whispermen, or the 'silent killers' as the Doctor likes to say. They're dangerous, we can't go in there." Danny wiped his hands over his face in worry.

"But we have to go in there. That's what we need to go home isn't it? And the Doctor? He could be in there!" Clara sighed and put her head in her hands.

"I know but we can't go in while they are there!? They'd kill us!"

"Well then we wait until they have gone."

"What do you mean 'gone'? They'll might never leave!" They continued to bicker until the sound of whispers that weren't their own stunned them into silence. Danny moved closer to Clara and scanned the area. There was nothing to be seen until they blinked and stopped making any noise. Suddenly the Whispermen surrounded them. Clara screamed as one grabbed her arm and lead her away from Danny.

"Clara!" He called after her and pulled against the strength of the one holding on to him but it was no use. They were too strong. Soon he was lead into the room behind Clara and they were both held next to each other.

"Let go of me!" Clara turned her head to shout at the Whisperman holding her. It stared back at her with no emotion apart from bearing its teeth and growling. The unnamed man walked from behind the light and began to talk. As he did the light turned red which Clara immediately understood.

"No... What have you done!?" The man grinned.

"Oh Clara, Clara, Clara. He does love you you know but what a shame, now he's gone. I'm heartbroken, aren't you?" Tears fell down her cheeks. She couldn't even tell what emotion she was feeling now, it was a mix of excruciating pain, anger and frustration. She pulled and squirmed to get away from the Whisperman but nothing was working. "Honestly, calm down! He'll miss you so much but you must understand, he has to die. Everything will be better without him." Danny finally spoke up to stop Clara from doing anything she might regret.

"Sorry, who are you?" He chuckled again.

"Oh believe me, that's not important. You should probably work on checking your wife is okay shouldn't you Danny? Dan, Dan the soldier man should know better." He riddled and teased sending Clara and Danny's frustration through the roof.

"Don't you tell me what I can and can't do. I asked you a question."

"Oh so you did, but I'm not answering it sorry." He walked around the edge of the light and looked at it intently. Danny looked away at him and motioned towards Clara to get her attention. She was crying her eyes out and was swaying back and forth in its arms. She was clearly in a state but he didn't really understand why.

"Clara, Clara, look at me." She reluctantly turned her head. "Hey, it's okay, calm down. What's wrong? What has he done with the Doctor?" She sobbed and shook her head.

"He's going to die, he's going to die Danny." He still wasn't following. "He's inside his own time stream. He can't be in his own time stream, it will collapse in on itself. He will have never of existed! He's dead." Suddenly he understood so he formulated a plan.

"Oi you! Creepy guy. Over here." He walked over to Danny and looked at him angrily, not approving of the nickname. "Why do you want him dead?"

"Think of a universe without the Doctor... Everything could roam free, no more hatred and no more impossible heroes." Danny scoffed in disagreement.

"Do you have any idea how many planets he has saved? How many lives and how many civilisations. Without him there would be nothing, nothing at all." The man cackled in utter disgrace.

"Oh is that what she tells you is it? Is that what your wifey over there tells you to keep your spirits up? Thought so." Danny looked at Clara who had calmed down a bit. She gave him a look to calm him down.

"Ignore him Danny, he's trying to wind you up. He knows us, he knows who we are. He'll use our pressure points against us." Danny took in what she said but didn't say anything back.

"Don't talk about her like that." The man pretended to cry and then began to laugh sarcastically.

"Oh I'm scared!" Danny pulled forwards furiously and tried to move his hands to swing for him but he couldn't get rid of the strong grip behind him.

"Danny stop! Let it go! He's trying to get a reaction!" He pulled away again and the man laughed.

"You should probably listen to wifey over there." Danny was getting even more annoyed, the stress was getting to him.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Clara shouted in frustration. The anger had taken over her feeling of pain. It almost made her numb. He walked away and said nothing. Everything went quiet. Clara suddenly thought about the Doctor again.

"Bring the Doctor back safely. Do it now!" He laughed and walked towards her. He leant his face close to hers. She could feel his breath on her face, it disgusted her.

"And why would I do that?"

"Because I'm going to make you! Now do it!" He cackled again which frustrated her even more.

"How are 'you' going to make me? Good luck trying, wifey." She scowled at him and then looked over his shoulder. The Doctor emerged from the time stream looking somewhat exhausted. He rolled out and laid down to get his breath back. The man hadn't noticed so the Doctor crept down and hid behind the stairs. Clara looked at Danny and they knew they both had the same plan.

"Like this!" She swung her leg up and kicked him as hard as she could. He fell to the ground in pain giving her enough time to swing her arm back and knock off the Whisperman. Danny did the same and they moved away. Clara groaned and leaned against the railings. "Ughhh, never piss off a girl while she's having a contraction!" Danny laughed and ran over to her. The Doctor ran up to meet them. The man suddenly stood back up and swung for Clara. He narrowly missed and fell slightly forwards as he had become unsteady on his feet. Danny pulled Clara away into safety and sat her down on the steps.

"Now I've got the upper hand you can tell me who you are and what you want." The man smiled and laughed despite the pain he was in.

"No chance Doctor. You haven't won yet!" He got up and swung for the Doctor. He jumped out of the way leaving him to fall forwards again. After one more swing he tripped and fell. The Doctor gave him a push and he fell straight into the time stream.

"Noooooo!" The sound of him shouting gradually faded as the Doctor watched him go. The Whispermen faded away and all went silent.

"Yeah you go! And never come back!" He shouted in triumph.

He walked over to Clara and Danny who were perched on the steps around the other side of the light. She was rocking backwards and forwards whilst shouting at Danny a lot.

"Danny! DANNY! Uggghhh!" He moved towards her and tried to comfort her but nothing was working.

"Doctor do you think you could get us home now? Like really soon!? I don't think this baby is going to wait much longer!" He grinned and got to work. He'd rather be working, he said to himself. He didn't really know how to comfort Clara. He didn't know much about humans really, let alone childbirth. "Doctor how do we get out of here now?" He looked around in search of the door.

"Oh I'll sonic it, don't worry." Danny speed walked ahead of him to try and make him work faster. The Doctor didn't quite see the urgency but Danny was over panicking now. They needed to get to a hospital and quick.

"Okay thank you. Please hurry up." He smiled and ran back to Clara who was still rocking on the stair. She helped her up and they slowly walked to the TARDIS. A few minutes later the Doctor undid all of the wires he had linked up and crossed his fingers.

"Hopefully this will work... If it doesn't then were a little bit stuck." Clara's head shot up.

"Don't even say that!" She practically growled at him. That was the easiest way to speak right now, use her pain to make words. He switched the engines on and the lights came back on one by one. He stood backwards a bit and put his hands on his head.

"Oh hello sleepy! How are you!?" Clara looked up from the floor again.

"Great! Now can you PLEASE take us to the hospital!?"

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry, on your way now." He held on to the console and enjoyed the noise it made. It had only been out of action for hours and he already missed it. The landing sound was the biggest relief for all of them. Danny ran over and helped Clara up. She groaned and put her head against his chest.

"Good luck!" The Doctor called after them. Danny looked back from walking.

"Thank you, come and visit tomorrow? Come and see how things are!?" He smiled and then hesitated. Come on just this once. The Doctor rose his arm up to his head and saluted at Danny. He returned the salute and jogged on. With a click of the fingers the TARDIS dematerialised again.

As soon as they got into the hospital Clara stopped walking.

"I can't go any further Danny. Get help! Now!" He looked around and waved to the nearest nurse.

"Excuse me! Can we have some help here!?" She smiled and ran over. Another nurse grabbed a wheelchair and helped Clara into it. She asked Danny questions the whole way down the hospital until they got to the room. He answered quickly trying not to show his panic. Clara was breathing heavily and was clearly frustrated with how slowly the nurse was walking.

"Ugh can we please hurry up!? This baby isn't going to wait much longer!" With that the nurse walked faster and helped Clara on to the bed. Danny ran to her side to support her.

Less than fifteen minutes later there was a small cry from the bottom of the bed. Danny ran down and smiled the softest smile Clara had ever seen. It was possibly even softer than when he had seen Ellie for the first time.

"There you go, your new baby girl. Congratulations." The nurse smiled and handed a neatly wrapped, tiny little girl to Danny. A tear fell from his eyes as he looked at Clara.

"She's... She's beautiful Clara." He handed the baby to her and they laid on the bed in utter disbelief. It was enough to send Clara off the edge. She couldn't hold in her emotion and soon broke down into a puddle of tears. Danny kissed her head softly.

"How did we manage to be so lucky Danny?" He laughed slightly.

"That's what I ask myself everyday of our life, I love you so so much and I wouldn't change a thing about our crazy, messed up life." She turned her head and kissed him deeply.

"Me neither. And do you know what? We have on clever three year old because this little one sure does look like a Lily." They both laughed and looked down at their beautiful daughter after an extremely unexpected day...

**Andddd there you go! I told you it would be dramatic ;) but luckily it had a nice happy ending! Thank you so so so much for reading x**


	13. Chapter 13- Answers

**Hello againnnn, next chapter! Sorry it's late! I've had exams so I haven't had much time to write. Because of that its not perfect, I haven't had time to proof read it so sorry if there are some mistakes, there shouldn't be too many though :) enjoy x**

Answers

Clara stirred from a light sleep to see Danny sat in the hospital chair next to the bed cradling Lily. She could see the love in his eyes, she had only been born for a few hours and he already had a lifetime of devotion to her. It warmed her heart knowing that he would always be there for her and their two beautiful children. She watched him for a good fifteen minutes until he noticed her looking.

"Hey, you okay?" She sat up a bit so that she could speak to him more comfortably.

"A bit sore, tired and achy but yeah, I'm fine. That sleep did me good. How is she?" She smiled down at the tiny little girl sleeping in his arms. Danny got up slowly and walked towards the bed before sitting down next to Clara.

"She's fine, well she's actually. She's so beautiful." Clara smiled and gently kissed her head.

"I know, she's perfect. That's the only word that can describe her, perfect." He chuckled slightly in agreement.

"You got that right. She really is perfect." He kissed her softly and she buried her head in his shoulder. "How long have you been awake for? Were you watching me the whole time!?" She laughed.

"Yeah, for about fifteen minutes." He sighed.

"You should have spoken to me, I'd have come and sat with you."

"No it was okay, I didn't want to disturb you, your eyes were fixated on her. It seemed silly to stop you."

"I can't take my eyes off of her. She's just so... So-" Clara laughed.

"Perfect?" He nodded.

"Yes that's the word." They both laughed and sat quietly watching her sleep.

A while later Lily woke up and Clara managed to give her her first feed. It felt so nice to be able to finally hold her and feed her. Nine months was a long time to wait.

"Should I give your dad a ring? Tell him to come down?" Clara sat up and made herself more comfortable with Lily in her arms.

"Yeah, Ellie can meet her new baby sister." They both grinned at each other. They had been waiting so long for Ellie to finally get a sibling. They had always said that she would be such a good big sister and now she could finally prove them right. Danny pulled out his phone and gave them a ring.

Twenty minutes later Clara and Danny heard Ellie's voice outside the door. Her dad pushed it open and she ran in.

"Mummy! Daddy!" She kept shouting their names and ran straight towards them. When she got to Danny she stopped dead still and stared at the tiny baby in Clara's arms. She was obviously confused and didn't quite understand what was going on. Danny picked her up and gave her a hug. Clara's dad and gran came to stand on the other side of the bed.

"Look Ellie! Who's that?" She pointed a Lily.

"Baby!"

"Yeah, this is your new baby sister." She stared in complete awe. She crawled onto the bed and reached out her hand to stroke her head. She patted a bit to hard which made Lily wake up and cry a little bit. She shot backwards and grabbed on to Danny again.

"Hey, hey it's okay! You have to be really gentle though because she's only tiny." Ellie started to crawl back towards Clara again. This time she stroked her head lightly and Lily smiled slightly upwards at her.

"Baby sister." Ellie spoke softly so that she didn't stir Lily again.

"And guess what we called her? What did you tell us to call her a few days ago?" She smiled suddenly as she remembered what she had said.

"Lily, baby Lily." Everyone in the room smiled as the two little girls bonded. It was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen. Danny sat next to Clara and kissed her head. She trend to hold back the tears that were forming in her eyes. How did she ever get so lucky?

Clara's dad got the next hold. His face turned into a wide smile and he couldn't have been more proud. Another granddaughter, he would never have believed that he would be so lucky.

"Oh Clara, she's so beautiful, congratulations." He lifted his head up for a moment to smile at her.

"Thank you, but congratulations to you as well, grandad." She winked at him knowing that being called grandad made him feel old. Lily was then passed to Clara gran who was crying with happiness already. She had always been so supportive of Clara through thick and thin. She and helped with Ellie and supported her through both pregnancies. Clara couldn't that've asked for more, her gran deserved every single bit of happiness she got. Gran was staring down at Lily with adoration, she was speechless. She was silently sobbing which set Clara off too. "Gran." She called her over quietly and they both stood together. Danny took Ellie to stand with Dave so that they could have a quiet minute.

"Clara I can't even think of what to say, she's beautiful, just like you." Clara wiped away her tears and sat up slightly.

"I know, I still can't believe that she's mine." She reached over and stroked her head.

"You've got two beautiful little girls now, thank you." Clara looked over, slightly confused.

"Thank you for what?"

"Thank you for making me a great grandma and for making your mum proud... She would have loved to see this." Clara began to cry again so her gran kissed her on the head. "Hey listen, just because she's not here now it doesn't mean that she's not watching. I know for a fact that if she was here she would be the happiest person alive and she would also be the proudest mum around. You, Clara, have done everything that she wanted you to do and more."

"Did she ever tell you what she wanted me to do? Did she have plans for me?" Her gran stared into the distance and laughed slightly. Tears were welling in her eyes as she thought about her daughter.

"Oh yes, she knew exactly what she wanted... Clara, there's something that I've never told you before but I think now is a good time to do it. When she found out that she wasn't going to be around to see you grow up she was devastated. It took a while for me to talk her round to thinking a little bit more positively. So from then on she lived every day the best she could and spent all the time she could with you... But one night when she began to get more ill she spoke to me. She told me everything she wanted to happen after she was gone. She said that she wanted me to look after you and to treat you like a princess, which I hope I have done. She said that she wanted you to have he best life that you could, enjoy every second of it. Fall in love, get married, have children, but most of all, never forget her. Always give her a thought and never, ever give up on her." Tears fell down both of their cheeks. There was nothing Clara wanted more than to have her mum with her right now. She was lucky that she had her gran because without her she wouldn't have had any motherly figure in her life at all.

"Well I think I can cross most of the things off of her list... Apart from one." She smiled at her gran who had been waiting intently for the news that they were getting married. It wasn't that they didn't want to, they just hadn't really gotten round to it. After they met things and moved quickly so getting married wasn't really a priority. They still had plans to do it but they just didn't know when.

"Yes, I think you have done her proud, she couldn't have asked for a better or more beautiful daughter of she tried." They snuggled up together and watched Lily doze off again.

A few hours later Dave and her gran headed home to give them some space and allow them to start to leave the hospital. They had put Ellie in the corner of the room with the toys to keep her quiet for a bit whilst Danny and Clara packed their things up. Danny had popped home to get the travel cot for Lily so they were all ready to leave. Clara picked it up and placed it on the bed before gently picking up Lily. When she was put down she snuggled down into the blanket like it was second nature. Without so much as a whimper she was back asleep again.

"I think we may have lucked out here you know, we've got a quiet baby!" They both laughed and Danny walked round the bed to meet her.

"Well I'm not complaining, and I doubt it's possible to find a baby any noisier than little missus over there."

"Very true, she is a very noisy girl." Ellie heard them and ran over.

"Me! Noisy!" Clara laughed.

"Yes you! You'll have to be a little bit quieter now though so that you don't wake up Lily!" She smiled and put her finger on her pursed lips.

"Shhh, Princess Lily is sleeping!" With another little giggle she ran back over to the toys.

"Princess Lily... Oh god." Danny laughed to himself as he had visions of the future running through his head. Ellie dressing Lily up as a fairy princess and making her take part in her daily role-plays. Things were certainly going to get interesting around the house.

Later on Ellie had just finished watching Frozen again. Clara was going to suggest something different as she could pretty much recite the whole film from start to finish but she decided not to. She knew it made Ellie happy and besides, she had plenty to keep her busy. She was sat down in the sofa with Lily awake in her arms when Ellie ran over. She climbed on the cushion next to her and leant her head against Clara's shoulder. She looked down at Lily but didn't get to close. Clara could tell that she was apprehensive. After all she was bound to be, she didn't know what a baby looked like or felt like. It was bound to scare her slightly.

"What's wrong sweetie?" Clara asked, after noticing that she was unusually quiet. Ellie took a while to consider her answer before speaking.

"Scared." Clara turned round slightly to look at her.

"What are you scared of honey?" Ellie dipped her head down and spoke slowly. Her little chubby chin squashed against her neck making her look ten times cuter.

"Baby, I don't know what to do." Clara freed one hand and stroked her cheek.

"That's okay, you're allowed to be a little bit scared. Having another baby in the house is a new thing so you're allowed to be worried. Mummy is a little bit scared too." She looked up in surprise.

"Mummy scared too?" She didn't believe that Clara could be scared. 'Grown ups aren't scared of anything' was her latest excuse for when she tried to scare Danny.

"Yeah, even mummy and daddy get scared sometimes. Mummy is scared because she wants to look after you all really well and make sure that you are all okay but sometimes it is hard to do. So you can be scared too, that's okay. We just have to help each other to get used to having Lily around, yeah?" She nodded her little head and stroked Lily on the head. As she did, Lily pulled a face that made them both laugh. "Do you want to hold her?"

"Yes please mummy." Clara moved forwards and told Ellie to sit down on the sofa. She placed Lily in her arms and made sure that she was supporting her head.

"Sit like a good girl and hold her head a bit with your arm. There you go! You're holding your little sister." Ellie looked up with a side smile on her face. Clara had never seen her that proud, she really was going to be an amazing big sister. Clara called Danny over to see what was happening.

"Wow Ellie! Good girl!" Danny sat next to Clara and got his phone out to take some photos. He gave Clara a knowing look. They were both thinking the same thing, that it was the cutest thing they had ever seen. They felt so grateful to have such beautiful children. The moment got even cuter when Lily opened her eyes and Ellie started to speak to her.

"Hello Lily, wakey wakey, it's not sleepy time yet!" Lily began to wriggle in her arms a bit and just as Clara was about to step in to help Ellie began to comfort her. "It's okay Lily, your big sister is here, you're okay. I love you lots and lots." Lily laid looking upwards at Ellie without so much as a cry. Clara and Danny's hearts melted. She Ellie leant forwards and kissed her on the head. After a few more minutes of holding her, her arms began to get tired so Clara took her away. Soon enough she began to yawn and go all sleepy on Danny's arm. He picked up the tired three year old and took her to bed. It was past her bedtime anyway and it had been a long day. When he got back down he took Lily from Clara and rocked her to sleep.

"That was the cutest thing I have ever seen. Oh my god." He thought back to what they had just seen and smiled at Clara.

"It was... Like how did she even know how to make Lily not cry? She's three years old, she's never even held a baby before." They both laughed and looked down at Lily who was yawning quietly.

"She will never cease to amaze us. Even Lily seems to love her to pieces already."

"I know, they are going to be such great sisters." There was a pause and then Clara spoke again. "Danny, I know I tell you this every two seconds, but I love you so much. I love you more than anything. I don't know what I would do without you. And thank you, thank you so much for everything. For the perfect life I have now and the perfect children we have. I couldn't ask for any more." Without saying a word he turned slightly and kissed her deeply. They embraced the moment, realising that they would never experience this exact feeling again. This was the happiest moment of their lives so far and nothing would spoil it.

The next morning, after not a lot of sleep, the TARDIS appeared in the hallway. It alarmed Clara as he never parked inside anymore. He must have forgotten. When he stepped out he confirmed her beliefs.

"Hello, oh sorry, I landed inside... My mistake." She laughed.

"No, no it's fine. You remembered to come and visit today!"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world! After all I need to meet this new baby of yours!" Clara smiled remembering how happy he was to meet Ellie for the first time. He loved kids really, he just didn't want to admit it. They walked into the living room where Ellie was sat watching TV. She jumped up and ran towards him.

"DOCTOR!" She grabbed on to his leg and surprisingly he tickled her and joined in with her playfully. It made Clara happy to see that he felt relaxed enough to play with her now, he had finally settled in. Danny then walked in with a very smiley Lily. Ellie let go and ran to her toys again whilst the Doctor walked towards Danny. He smiled and shook Danny's free hand.

"You made it!" The Doctor smiled and looked down at the tiny little girl smiling up at him.

"Of course! And this is the new addition to the Pink family then is it?" Clara smiled.

"Yes, this is Lily." Danny passed her to him carefully.

"Ohh hello Lily! You're very cute aren't you! You look just like your mummy!" His face widened into a huge smile which pleased Clara to no end. The Doctor sat down comfortably with her in his arms and gently tickled her tummy. Danny sat down next to Clara and they looked at each other. They could tell they were both thinking the same thing. They needed answers. They needed am explanation for what happened yesterday. Neither of them knew how to begin the conversation. Soon it seemed like they didn't have to as the Doctor spoke first.

"So I'm guessing that you have some questions about yesterday?"

"Yeah, just a few." The sarcasm in her voice worried the Doctor a little bit. He already felt bad for putting her it but her saying it like that made it seem even worse. "How about we start at the beginning? Why did the TARDIS take off in the first place?" The Doctor hesitated before answering.

"I don't exactly know but the engines weren't on so we must have been tracked onto something, like something was pulling us in, I couldn't stop it."

"So whatever happened there happened for a reason?" Danny piped up.

"Yeah, pretty much, and I don't know why. I hate not knowing." Clara was trying to configure what to ask next in her head. So much had happened she didn't know what order to say things in.

"What about the man? Who was he? What did he want?" The Doctor went quiet for a second. He didn't know how to answer this question. It had been on his mind for the last day and he couldn't crack it.

"I don't know. And I don't know. I tried to find out but I was getting nothing back. But I assume that he will be back for more."

"Don't you even have any suspicions? Like who it could be?" The Doctor though for a second.

"He said something about the timelords." Clara's head shot up.

"And? Did he know something!?"

"Yes but he wasn't going to tell me... Ugh I was so close to finding something out but I couldn't get him to spill."

"What did he say exactly?" His face fell slightly as he thought back to what he had heard. It made him angry that he didn't know the whole truth.

"He began to explain how he was going to make me 'die' and he said about me being the last of the timelords. But then he paused and said 'oh wait? Maybe he isn't.'" Danny looked shocked.

"So your people might still be out there!? You might be able to find them?"

"Well hopefully yes, but I don't know if he was playing with my head or..."

"Or what?" He hesitantly spoke again.

"I recognised something about him, it was like I'd met him before but I don't quite recall who he is or why I would have met him."

"What? You mean you've met him on Gallifrey?"

"Maybe, but it's not just that, I think he's a timelord." Clara looked at him, utterly speechless.

"Wait what? Why would he be a timelord? How can he be a timelord if he tried to kill you?"

"There are things that you don't know about my past Clara, some things happened and they are enough to make enemies of my own people." By the way that the Doctor addressed her she knew that he wasn't going to tell her what happened so she didn't ask. There were always some things that he would never reveal, even to his closest friend. It fell silent for a few minutes so Danny began to ask questions again when he could get a word in edgeways.

"What I want to know is, how did you get back out of the time stream without him noticing?" Now the Doctor looked up, glad that he could tell his heroic story for once.

"See, when they threw me in they didn't realise that I had my sonic screwdriver. So I just kind of fell and then used it to beam me back up. A sonic screwdriver and time energy creates a lot of power so I was able to get out." Danny nodded as he tried to take in what had just been said. Everything was so new to him that he took a while to process it. Soon he piped up again though.

"Wait, one more thing." Clara rolled her eyes, he always had so many questions. "You fell down really far... How weren't you hurt? You should have been dead, or at least had a broken back?" He chuckled.

"Looking in the bright side, eh!? No, umm, I was hurt but then, you know, stuff happened." Just as Danny was about to question him some more Clara jumped in. She knew what had happened, she could tell by the Doctor's face.

"You regenerated didn't you." He nodded and she sighed.

"But don't worry! I still have plenty of time, I'm fine!" He laughed slightly to lighten the mood. She gave him a stern look back.

"Doctor, seriously." He shrugged.

"Look it's fine! I'm fine! Stop fussing!" Something about his attitude was annoying Clara. He was nervous and was definitely holding things back but he wasn't in a mood to be questioned any further so she left it.

After another chat and a few cups of tea Lily began to cry, feeding time had arrived. The Doctor was slightly taken aback when she began to whine, he didn't know what to do. Clara quickly stepped in to help him.

"Aw come on, back to mummy, time for your feed is it?" She smiled and cooed down at a very grumpy Lily. Clara walked out the room to sort her out. Ellie ran over to Danny and climbed on him. She didn't like it when Lily cried, it scared her as she didn't quite understand why.

"It's okay, Lily is okay sweetie." She curled herself up in his arms.

"But she's sad daddy." She looked up with her sweetest eyes. It made Danny's heart melt, it was adorable.

"No she's not! She's a baby, and babies cry lots because they can't tell us what's wrong. She's not sad, she's just hungry." Ellie frowned.

"What does she eat? Does she eat like me?"

"No sweetie, she's too small. She just drinks milk. That's all she can have, if she ate proper food like you she would get ill."

"And Lily doesn't want to get ill does she daddy." Danny smiled at her innocence.

"No, she doesn't, she wants to be happy like you." She smiled and laid down a bit more. Danny could tell she was tired, normally she would never sit still but now she had gone all weepy. A few minutes later she had fallen asleep and Lily had too. The Doctor began to make an exit, it was subtle yet sudden like always which made Clara smile.

"Come back and see us soon, yeah?" He smiled and agreed. He didn't reply though. He just walked towards the TARDIS and left.

"Danny. There's still something bothering me. I don't think he is telling me the truth." He nodded his head.

"I know what you mean. He avoided answering which made it obvious that he was lying." She glanced across the room, obviously distracted.

"Yeah... What if he needs help though? What if that man was a timelord?" Danny put his hand on her knee as a comfort.

"Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. But at the end of the day, you know that if he needs your help or he is in serious danger he will come to ask you. So don't worry too much, he will be okay, he always is." She smiled and nodded. He was right, there was no point worrying about it.

"You're right." He laughed.

"I know. I'm always right and don't even try to deny it! Anyway, we've got two daughters to see to." She kissed him and they got up to walk upstairs.

S**o there you go. I have ideas for the next chapters but I don't know how long I will take to wrote them. I'm pretty busy so I might not be as consistent with my weekly update thingy, sorry about that. Blame exams ;) x**


	14. Chapter 14- Disaster Day

**Hey, sorry it's been a bit longer than usual, but here it is. I hope you enjoy it! :) x**

Disaster day

Clara moaned as she got up for the sixth feed that night. They had one hungry baby. Of course Danny hadn't woken at all, he was the heaviest sleeper ever. She didn't blame him though, he had had a lot on at work recently with exam season and the new head of maths starting. He had been quite stressed. She walked in to Lily's room and picked her up. As soon as Clara rocked her, she settled down and stopped crying. As she held her in her arms she still couldn't believe how tiny and delicate she was. Ellie hadn't been a big baby but she hadn't been as small as Lily. Lily had been born slightly early, not enough to make any problems luckily. As she fed her quietly she looked at the big brown eyes staring up at her. Clara loved her eyes, they were like Danny's. She could stare into them and get completely lost. The dark, chestnuty pupils were mesmerising. That was one of the things that drew her to Danny in the first place, his eyes. Soon she had dropped off to sleep again so Clara gently put her back in the cot. Her little teddy was snuggled next to her and she looked so peaceful. Clara could have stayed there forever, that obviously couldn't happen though.

When she got back into their bedroom Danny still hasn't stirred. She crawled back into bed and looked at the clock. 6:30. Not really much point in going back to sleep, she thought to herself. Just as she moved slightly Danny turned over and smiled at her with his eyes shut. She couldn't tell if he was awake or if he was just smiling in his sleep. He did that sometimes. It made her laugh. He slowly opened his eyes to show that he was awake. She laid down and kissed him good morning. He sighed and stretched slightly.

"Morning beautiful." She smiled, she loved it when he called her that.

"Morning ugly." He laughed and grabbed her round the waist. He pulled her over until she was on top of him and she was squealing for him to stop. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"You better be!" They kissed again and enjoyed the peace. They always savoured the peace as they didn't get much anymore. Just when they had settled a bit Ellie came running in. Danny let go of Clara so that she could move next to him instead of being on top of him. They didn't want to raise any questions after all. Ellie was a smart girl, the last thing she needed was prompting.

"Mummy I don't feel well." She slowly crawled on the bed whilst yawning and rubbing her eyes. She went all weepy in Clara's arms as she hugged her so she kissed her on the head to comfort her.

"What feels yucky darling? Your tummy?" She nodded.

"My tummy hurts lots."

"Does it ache or does it feel sick?" She took a moment to consider her answer almost as though she didn't know exactly how she felt.

"Both, my tummy is sad today." She looked up with sad eyes which made Clara feel sad too.

"Oh dear! Will a nice big mummy and daddy cuddle help make it happier?" She smiled and nodded so Clara helped her into the middle of the bed. They both snuggled into her and she soon fell asleep. Danny and Clara looked at each other knowingly. They were going to have a chat in the peace, a catch up that was meant to happen yesterday but never did. They sighed as they put the talking on hold now that Ellie was asleep again. There was no point risking waking her as she would probably feel better when she had had a bit more sleep.

A few hours later she woke up again and smiled widely. Clara and Danny had dropped off to sleep as well as Lily hadn't woken again. She poked Clara gently to wake her up.

"Mummy." Clara stirred.

"Morning again! Do you feel a bit better now you've had some more sleep?"

"Yes! Can I have some breakfast now?" Clara laughed, all Ellie thought about at the moment was food. She must have be growing. Danny moved to take her downstairs as he could see that Clara was still half asleep. They got up and walked out of the room holding hands. Clara stretched out to wake herself up before getting up to follow them downstairs. On the way she checked on Lily, she was still fast asleep so she left her quietly.

A few hours later the house didn't paint as happy of a picture as it did earlier. Ellie had been sick multiple times and was feeling really ill. Danny and Clara had come to the conclusion that it wasn't anything serious but, nevertheless, it was still quite scary. Danny was even more stressed as he had planned to get some work done that afternoon but he hadn't got round to it due to the Ellie situation. He had finally resorted to sitting at the kitchen table in attempt to get at least a little bit done. The new head of maths had made him plan extra lessons and get some marking that was meant to be done over the summer done for next week. He hadn't got any done so far and was clearly stressing about it. Lily had been crying all day too. She hadn't had her nap as she had slept for longer earlier in the day and now she wouldn't settle. Clara was trying to juggle a crying three week old baby, a three year old child that kept vomiting every ten minutes and a mightily stressed husband all whilst making dinner. She just about had it under control when Ellie ran in.

"Mummy I feel sick again." She was a quite pale and her usual bubbly charisma was missing. That was a sign that she felt really poorly.

"Okay honey, go to the bathroom and I'll be in in a second." She looked over to Danny for help but he didn't look up from his laptop. She sighed in frustration as she turned off the heat under the pan that was supposed to be left to boil.

"But mummy! You have to come with m-" She paused in mid-sentence and Clara knew exactly what was going to happen next.

"Ellie! Bathroom now please!" It was too late. She threw up all over the floor and then started to cry. Danny looked up and got up to rub Ellie's back. Clara put her hand on her forehead and groaned in frustration. As soon as she went to put Lily down so that she could help clean up the mess she started to cry again.

"Oh what is wrong with you today!?" She spoke to Lily in attempt to make her sleep even though it would obviously not work. Danny tried to reassure Ellie who was crying and still looking very pale. He began rubbing her back again as it seemed to calm her. Clara left Lily in her play cot carefully. It put her mind at rest slightly as she knew she was safe, she wasn't very happy about it but she was safe.

"It's okay darling! Everyone gets sick sometimes. We will clean it up, it's fine. Don't cry." She rubbed her eyes and leant on Danny for support. Being sick so many times had worn her out.

"My tummy still hurts." Danny gave Clara a concerned look. She replied with an even more concerned one. Earlier on it didn't seem like much but now they were worried. She had been sick a lot of times and was still complaining about feeling ill. Something must be wrong. Danny held her hand and took her away from the kitchen.

"Do you feel like you are going to be sick again?" She shrugged her shoulders and then nodded her head. She didn't really know how she felt. "Okay come on, let's go and sit in the bathroom for a few minutes just in case, yeah?" After a few minutes Danny briefly left her and went to help Clara. They could see the bathroom from the kitchen so Ellie wasn't out of sight at all. Half way through cleaning up the mess Clara looked over Danny's shoulder and saw Ellie reach for the toilet again. Soon enough she was sick again. Clara shot up and ran to her side.

"It's okay, it's okay. You're really not well are you?" Ellie leant back and sat on Clara's knee. She rubbed her tummy and shook her head whilst leaning on her mum's shoulder. Suddenly Lily started to cry again but even louder this time. Danny went to see to her but his laptop beeped really loudly, stopping him in his tracks.

"No, no, no, no! Don't do this to me!" It had shut down, loosing all of his work again. It had been paying up recently and had already lost the piece of work once before. He cursed under his breath and growled in frustration. He picked up Lily who had proceeded to cry and rocked her gently, trying to relive his frustration without taking it out on anyone in the house. Clara got up and looked in the medicine cupboard whilst keeping a close eye on Ellie.

"Damn it. We've run out."

"What's wrong?" Danny called from the other room.

"Have we got any of that medicine that stops you from feeling sick left? Ellie could really do with some right now." He walked in to the bathroom and shook his head.

"No, I don't think we have." Clara looked at him lovingly and he knew what she was going to say straight away. "Okay I'll go now." He didn't smile back, he was too angry with work to think about being pleasant. He handed her Lily and left out of the door.

"Don't drive too fast please!" She called after him knowing that he may get a little carried away because of his mood. Once he had closed the door she sat back down with Ellie. She sighed and sat on the floor.

"Mummy my tummy doesn't like feeling yucky. When will it go away?" Clara pulled a sad face and stroked her cheek.

"I don't know sweetie. You'll just have to be patient. I know it's not nice but sometimes you just have to put up with it." She smiled slightly and then looked at the ground.

A good twenty minutes later Clara was starting to wonder where Danny had got to. The chemists was only a two minute drive away and he wasn't exactly in the mood for taking his time.

"Where's daddy gone? Has he gone to get my special medicine?"

"Yes he has, I'm sure he will be back in a few minutes. Don't worry." As she spoke she realised that she was not only reassuring Ellie, but she was reassuring herself too. Suddenly her phone rang. She got to it as quickly as she could and answered it hopefully as Danny's number had appeared on her screen.

"Hey, where are yo-" She stopped as she sensed that something was wrong. There were odd noises in the background and other people speaking frantically.

"Hello? Is this Mrs Pink?" She tried not to get too panicky as she didn't recognise the voice.

"Yes, who is this?"

"This is emergency services. I'm afraid your husband has been in a car accident. We're taking him to A&amp;E now, we're treating him as best we can. Will you be able to get to the hospital soon?" She stuttered over her words, she couldn't believe that this was happening.

"Umm yes, that's fine, thank you." That was all that she could muster. Shock took over her as she looked at her two children. Ellie was looking over at her, confused.

"Mummy is daddy okay?" She shook herself out of the trance she had got herself into.

"No he's not, daddy has had a little accident so we need to go quickly to the hospital to see if he's okay." She looked down and then went to get her shoes on. Ellie knew well enough now that when Clara instructed her to do something it was easier just to do it, no questions asked. They got in the car as quickly as they could. Clara was finding it hard to keep herself together but the panic was stopping her from crying. All she could think about was if he was going to be okay. She couldn't afford to loose him. Not now, not ever.

When they got there Lily began to cry again.

"It's okay." Clara tried to comfort her in the blind panic she had got herself into. She calmed down after a few minutes but when they got to the door Ellie's face went pale again.

"Mummy I feel sick." Clara grabbed her hand and got her to near the reception.

"Okay sweetie, do you think you are going to be sick again?" She nodded so Clara called the nearest nurse over.

"Excuse me, can we have a bowl or something, this one isn't feeling very well." She smiled.

Of course, give me a second." A few seconds later she returned. Clara smiled as a thank you. She didn't have the energy to speak again. "Have you been feeling sick all day?" Ellie nodded and her face went even paler.

"She's been sick multiple times today, I though it was nothing but then she was sick again a few minutes ago so I started to worry. Then I got a call from a paramedic saying that my husband has been in a car crash so I don't really know what to do. Could you help me out in any way?" Clara slumped down on the floor and took a deep breath. The nurse gave her a knowing look, almost as though she could tell how Clara was feeling.

"Yes of course, what's your husbands name?"

"Danny Pink, he was brought in not long ago." The nurse stood up and walked round to the other side of the reception desk. She checked up on the computer and then came back round. Clara desperately looked at her face to see her reaction but it was emotionless. That only worried her more.

"Your husband has been brought in but I'm afraid you can't see him yet. He's in theatre. It shouldn't be long." Clara's hand flew to her mouth. A tear fell as the realisation hit her.

"Oh my god... What's wrong with him!? Is he going to be okay!?"

"I don't know the exact details but I'm sure he will be fine. I'll be able to tell you more within the next ten or fifteen minutes. In the meantime I think you should come with me." The nurse took Ellie's hand to give Clara one less thing to think about. She let them into a small ward of their own. She plopped Ellie down on the bed and put some gloves on. "I'm just going to check her over, you said that she's been sick a few times so I just want to check its nothing serious." Clara looked at her and gave her a slight nod. She wasn't even really listening, her mind was going out of control. She needed to know that Danny was okay. "Is there anyone you could call? Just for support? It will make it easier."

"Ahh yes, there is." She grabbed her phone and dialled her dads number. The nurse continued to check Ellie over but then she started to cry.

"Ay there's no need to cry! I'm just going to check that you are okay and then you can play with the toys in the corner. Look!" The fact that the nurse was good with children put her mind at rest. Ellie seemed to calm down pretty quickly after that. Soon enough she put her things down and got rid of her gloves. Clara looked over anxiously. She really didn't want there to be anything serious wrong with Ellie, it would add even more to the pile. "Don't worry, it's nothing serious. It looks to me like an allergic reaction, to something she has eaten maybe?" Clara racked her brain to think of anything different they had fed her in the last few days. Then it came to her.

"Ahh she did some chocolate covered peanuts yesterday? Could that be it?" The nurse picked up Ellie and let her run over to the toys.

"Yes, that was probably it. It seems as though she may have a nut allergy then. So, like I said, it's nothing to worry about. Just keep her away from eating anything nutty and see if she gets any better. If she doesn't, bring her back in and we can run some tests." Clara nodded and said thank you. The nurse could tell that her mind was preoccupied though, she looked so helpless stood there. A crying baby in one arm and her phone in her other hand. Her glazed over eyes just confirmed the anxiousness she was feeling. All she wanted to do was to help but there wasn't really anything she could do. Lily began to cry again which shook Clara out of her trance.

"Shh, shh, shh, it's okay." As she said it a tear fell down her cheek and she felt the panic take over her again.

"Would you like me to see how your husband is to put your mind at rest slightly?" She wiped the tear away and nodded.

"Yes please, thank you."

As the nurse walked out Dave walked in. He sounded out of breath, he must have ran. Thinking about it she did sound quite panicky on the phone, he obviously thought that it was really urgent. When she saw him she couldn't contain her emotions anymore. She couldn't really explain how she was feeling, she was just so scared. It had all happened so quickly. After explaining the situation to her dad he tried to reassure her. As nice as he was being, it wasn't helping. The only thing that could calm her down now was seeing Danny and she couldn't do that. Dave took Lily gently out of her arms to free her and they sat on the bed.

"It will be okay you know. He's strong, he's a fighter. He'll be back up and running before you know it. He'll be back to annoying you again just like always." He put his spare arm around her and kissed her head. She smiled and was about to speak when the nurse came back in. Clara shot up and moved towards her.

"Okay, he's out of theatre but he's not awake yet. It's just a waiting game until his anaesthetic wears off. You can go and see him though, he's in ward 10, so just along the corridor." She smiled and was about to leave the room when Clara called her back. She moved closer to her so that Ellie couldn't overhear what was being said.

"Thank you, umm, do you know what he needed an operation for exactly yet? Or?"

"Yes, apparently he was very lucky, it was a close shave but he's okay. He had to have part of his abdomen operated on, part of the car pierced through some of his side so the debris had to be removed." Her heart sank. She was praying that it was something less serious. She tried to hide her emotion for another second so that she could thank the nurse.

"Thank you so much, you've been more than helpful."

"No problem, just doing my job! All the best." With a warm smile, she left the room. Clara quickly checked if her dad was okay to watch Ellie and Lily whilst she went to see him and then she left.

She found herself walking unusually slowly towards the ward. She didn't know what state he was in so she felt more nervous than she would have if she had seen the extent of his injuries. When she finally got to the door she paused and then forced herself to go inside. She walked round the corner and then stopped at the end of his bed. She took a deep breath and let a few tears escape. He looked terrible. It broke her heart. He had a black and bruised eye and a large cut down the side of this head. His mouth was slightly swollen like he had been punched and his left arm was bruised. The side that had been operated on was bandaged up tightly and machines were hanging off of him. His body laid there, motionless. She couldn't help but sob. Why him? Why her beautiful Danny? She wiped her eyes slightly and moved to sit next to him. She took his hand and kissed it softly through her tears. She began to speak to him, hoping that he could hear her and register that she was there by his side.

"Hey... I don't even know what to say. I wish we had been nicer to each other today because... then maybe this wouldn't have happened. I mean I know that you were stressed and Ellie was sick and Lily kept crying but... Maybe if we had calmed down I would never have asked you to go out and then you wouldn't have been hit by the car, and then you wouldn't be here... In this state. Oh god this is all my fault isn't it." She started to cry again and she put her head on his arm. Just as she began to sob she heard a noise.

"It's not your fault." She looked up to see him slowly opening his eyes to his surroundings.

"Danny... Oh my god Danny." He tried to move but then winced in pain. He obviously didn't remember what he had injured during the crash.

"What happened? Why am I here?" She wiped the tears from her cheeks and stood up so that he could see her face. She moved her hand to stroke his head gently.

"You went out to the chemists and... And then you were in a car crash." He looked up to stop himself from crying, he hated seeing Clara like this. He felt like it was his fault for putting her in this position again. "But don't worry because it's okay now. It's okay I promise. You're okay." He began to speak and then stopped himself like he was avoiding answering the question that was the elephant in the room.

"What have they done to me? What is injured?" She stood back to look at him, he was so frail she didn't know where to start. "Oh no, please don't tell me it's bad?"

"Well it's bad but nothing that you won't recover from, soldier boy. Part of the car went through your side so they had to operate, that's the worst thing. You've got a cut on your head and lots of bruises and your leg is fractured." She tried to carry on but the thought of his pain made her cry again.

"Hey it's okay, at least I'm alive."

"Yeah, it could be worse, but it's so not okay." He gripped her hand as that was about all he could do to show his affection at that moment. He knew it wasn't okay but at least he could liven up the situation a bit. Neither of them said a thing for the next ten minutes. Clara was just so, so glad that he was okay and Danny was trying to remember what happened. It all happened in a flash, they finally could calm down slightly now as they knew what was happening.

They sat in silence for a while not really knowing what to do or say next. This wasn't exactly planned in their daily routine, this wasn't meant to happen.

"Oh, how's Ellie?" She lifted her head off of his arm.

"She's fine, they checked her over though just in case. It's nothing serious, just an allergy. Not 100% sure what to yet but we will find out sure enough."

"Good, well not good but... You know what I mean." They laughed slightly.

"Should I ask my dad to take the girls home? I'm not sure how Ellie would cope seeing you so, so you know..."

"Injured?" She smiled.

"Yeah, injured."

"I think that's a good idea. I don't want to scare her with my terrifying face!" She giggled and walked out of the ward.

When she was gone it gave Danny time to think. He couldn't really remember much about the crash at that moment. It was such a blur. He remembered feeling stressed and then getting into the car but not much else. The crash can't have happened much after that but all he could remember was the car headlights, then everything went black. It made him shiver just thinking about it. They had been in this hospital way more times than he would have liked. It worried him...

**Ooh tense ;) thank you for reading, not sure how long the next chapter will be. It depends on how busy I am! I won't keep you waiting for too long I promise :) x**


	15. Chapter 15- Haunting

**Hey again, I guess this is kinda the 2nd part of chapter 16 but it kinda isn't too... You know what I mean ;) oh and sorry for the delay, I've been so busy this week and just haven't had time to write... I also haven't had time to do a read through so I am so so sorry if there are any mistakes. There shouldn't be but sorry just in case. I hope you enjoy it anyway :D x**

Haunting

Danny woke up from a light sleep to feel a weight on his arm. He leant to the side as best as he could to see Clara asleep next to him with her head resting on him. He smiled and turned back over making sure that he didn't wake her. Momentarily he forgot about his injuries and he relaxed. He felt at peace again, like nothing had ever happened. He had only been in here for a day and half but already he felt trapped. Being in a hospital unable to move was limiting, he couldn't do anything. He couldn't be himself which made him angry when he thought about it. His mind wandered until he began to think back to what Clara had said when he was coming round from the operation. She was convinced that it was her fault. It wasn't. In no way at all was it her fault. If anything, it was his fault. He was the one driving, he was the one not paying attention. He should take the blame, Clara shouldn't have to suffer. After another twenty minutes of hopeless thinking he began to realise how stupid he must sound. There was no point blaming anyone else, it was an accident and that was all it would ever be. It was an unfortunate one at that, but it would always be an accident. The important thing now was getting over it. Recovery was imperative.

A while later Clara woke up. She stretched and yawned before walking round the bed to stretch her legs.

"Morning! Have you been home yet since they brought me in?" She smiled knowing that he was going to tell her to go home and get some rest. Danny, being the sensible one, was always the most practical.

"Nope, I couldn't leave you on your own!"

"But I wouldn't be completely alone! You need rest, that didn't look comfortable..." She tried to hide the fact that her back had stiffened up and was quite painful.

"Look, I'd be a wreck at home. It least I know you're okay when I'm here instead of being at home waiting for phone calls. Trust me, I'm more use to you here." He sighed and accepted that he had lost the discussion.

"Okay, you win. But don't go making yourself ill, that's the last thing we need." She chucked and moved to sit next to him.

"Wow this accident has turned you into a grandad!" She kissed his head and smiled.

"Yeah well I don't really want to be in here any longer than we need to. This time is bad enough..." He looked down as he spoke so Clara knew that there was something wrong. He wasn't coping well and she could tell. She reached to put her hand under his chin and lifted his head up so that he was looking at her.

"What's wrong? You seem a little down this morning."

"It's everything... I hate being in here, I hurt all over, I can't see my beautiful children, you are struggling to stay awake to be with me... I feel like a burden. I hate being like this. The crash keeps circulating round my head and I can't stop thinking about it. It's like it's haunting me, I can't stop thinking that it's all my fault." A tear fell down his cheek which broke Clara's heart. He was so broken, broken by an accidental crash. She wished that it had never had happened.

"I know it's hard but you've just got to concentrate on getting better. This isn't the best situation... In fact it's pretty much the worst but we will get through it. And you can see the girls if you like? I can bring them in, that would be nice. They're both missing you lots. But most importantly, this is not your fault." He looked at her, not convinced by what she had said.

"But who was driving? Who wasn't watching the roads? Who was going slightly too fast? Me. No one else, just me. So who else is to blame?" She held his hand for reassurance.

"Just because you were driving it doesn't mean that it is your fault. What if it wasn't you that wasn't watching? What if the other car was in the wrong? You don't know that." He didn't reply, he just held her hand tighter. What she had said had brought back the memory again. It made him shiver. "Can you remember what happened now? Has it come back to you?" He looked down and spoke quietly.

"I left the house in a rush and was more annoyed than I should have been. It was work and my laptop and I was tired, it just got too much. So I pulled out of the drive and on to the main road. Everything was okay until I got to a few streets down. I was going a bit too fast and a car pulled out in front of me, I swerved to miss it but it clipped my bonnet. It span the car and sent it into flips across the road and into the ditch. It fell and hit a tree and then I turned up here... I was so scared. My whole life flashed before my eyes. That sounds so cliche but it's true. I saw you and Ellie and Lily and I didn't know what was going to happen next. I remember the crunch of the car and the sound of cars skidding and horns beeping. Everything went black but I could still hear the sounds." Another tear fell so Clara stroked his head to show him that it was okay. He had told her enough.

"That is not your fault at all. I mean yes you were speeding but not too much. And you were on the main road so it was your right of way. Don't you worry, I'm here, it's okay. You can tell me anything." He smiled again and returned the kiss she gave him. Soon after, he fell asleep. Clara didn't mind though. He had been through a lot and was emotionally and physically drained. It wasn't surprising that he needed sleep.

Twenty minutes later their peace was disturbed by a police officer. One of them walked in the door to speak but then stopped himself when he saw Danny asleep. Clara stood up and followed him out of the room.

"Hello, I'm DI Cartwright. Are you Mrs Pink?" She nodded although they weren't married yet. It was easier that way and she liked the idea of being his husband. It made her happy.

"Yes I am, do you need to speak to him?"

"That would be preferable, yes. We need to create a picture of the events so that we know what caused the crash. I know your husband is in a bad way at the moment but as soon as we can get this done, the sooner he will be able to make a peaceful recovery." She nodded and smiled.

"Okay give me one second, I'll wake him up for you."

"Thank you." She walked in and gently shook Danny awake.

"Danny... The police are here to ask you a few questions." He stirred awake but then his eyes shot open when he heard the word 'police'. "It's okay! Just tell them what happened, they'll understand."

"But what if I get in trouble for speeding? What if they find out that I wasn't watching where I was going?!" She stroked his shoulder and urged him to settle down.

"Hey, calm down! It's okay, just tell them the truth. You're the victim here, the likelihood is that they will write down a statement and close the case. You won't get in trouble, I promise." He seemed to relax at that. Clara motioned for them to come in and they took a seat next to him.

"Hello, I'm DI Cartwright and this is my colleague, PC Williams. Would it be okay if we asked you a few questions about the accident?" Danny nodded and sat himself up a bit more. Just as the DI was about to speak he stopped himself and looked up at Clara. "Sorry but would you mind waiting outside? Routine procedure, the witness must be alone to answer questions." She slowly got up and walked out before looking back and smiling at Danny reassuringly. She didn't know how to feel about being told to leave. She guessed that it would stop her having any influence on his answers. It made sense but she would rather be in there with him as moral support. He wasn't coping well anyway despite what he had been through.

As she walked along the corridor she realised that she hadn't eaten or drunken for ages. She reached into her pocket to get some loose change and bought a chocolate bar and a cup of coffee to keep her going. The hospital was relatively quiet even though it was a Sunday morning, she wasn't complaining though. She sat down on the chairs outside the ward and looked at her phone whilst slowly chomping on the chocolate bar. Suddenly she remembered that she had almost dumped the girls on her dad, she felt bad for not thinking to call him sooner. It wasn't really fair on him.

"Hey dad, is everything okay?"

"Clara! Yes everything is great, Ellie is watching Frozen again and Lily is sound asleep. Nothing to worry about. What about you? How's everything at your end?" She sighed knowing that her answer was not going to be as cheerful.

"Not too good I'm afraid... Danny is stable but in a pretty bad way. Let's just say he's not coping too well mentally. I think the accident brought up some army memories that he would rather forget but it's okay, we've got it sorted for the minute. The police are in with him at the moment questioning him which probably isn't the best thing right now but that can't be helped."

"That's totally understandable. Car crashes are bad enough let alone for someone with a history like his. At least he's doing okay now anyway. How are you bearing up?" As he asked about her she felt tears well in her eyes. For the first time in about two days she had finally sat still and been given the chance to think about the situation. She hadn't realised how much it had taken its toll on her until now.

"Umm, I'm alright. As good as I can be but I'm fine. Don't worry about me." She heard a slight chucked on the other end of the line.

"Clara, I always worry about you. I'm your dad, that's my job." She rolled her eyes at his comment. "What did the police say?"

"I don't know, they are still in there. I'll let you know as soon as I know... Oh I was thinking, would you possibly be able to bring the girls up here this afternoon? Danny and I are missing them and it will give him something else to think about."

"Yeah of course, that's a good idea. So give me a ring when I should come up and I'll see you there?"

"Yep, thank you dad, see you later." Once they had said their goodbyes the police left through the door. They didn't look back at Clara. They just walked off the other way deep in discussion with one an other. That made her slightly suspicious so she quickly went to see Danny. When she walked round the wall to see him she began to jog towards the bed. She threw down what she was holding and went to comfort his crying. It was only at this point that she realised how much this had affected him.

"It's okay, it's okay. I'm here. Talk to me." Instead of speaking he just hugged her tighter. He buried his head into her stomach and sobbed like a baby. Clara just rubbed his back and let him get it all out. She felt tears welling in her eyes too. She hated seeing him like this, it broke her heart. She held in the emotion to put on a brave face for him though.

A few minutes later he settled down a bit. He let go of her slightly so that he could lean back on the bed. He still kept a slight grasp on her as though he couldn't let her go. She kept stroking his cheek as it seemed to soothe him. Suddenly he began to speak.

"I'm sorry." She leaned in and sat next to him.

"What do you mean 'sorry'? You've got nothing to be sorry for!" He spoke without looking at her. He stared into the distance, seemingly dazed.

"But I have though, I'm sorry that you had to see that."

"Look, I love you, even this part of you. If you feel like you need to cry then let it all out. I'll be here for you. You don't even have to speak to me if you don't want to, I'll just be there to comfort you. Don't you go saying sorry for being human, everyone has bad days, and I guess these are some of yours."

"This time though, I am going to talk to you. You need to know what's going on inside my head because... Because I don't think I can cope with it on my own." She felt a tear escape as she looked at the pain in his face. She hadn't seen him this upset since he got himself in a mess about not being a good father to Ellie. That was nearly two years ago. It brought back painful memories. "Before the police came I was asleep. I had another dream but it was different this time. It still hurt and it still scared me as they usually do but it felt different. I don't know why, it just did... I went back to the day when it all happened. I could hear the noises and see the surroundings like it was yesterday but this time it was different. I saw you in the background holding Ellie and Lily. I smiled at you but you didn't know who I was and you ran away at the sight of a soldier. The next thing I heard was gun fire and... And you, you fell to the ground. The girls started crying and I wanted to run over but I couldn't... When you came in and woke me up it went away for a second because I thought about the police. They questioned me and it all went okay but then when it was quiet again everything came back. I can't help it. It's the memories, make then go away Clara, please." He began to cry again and Clara found herself crying too. He was in so much pain and she didn't know how to stop it. "It's the crash, it's brought it all back to me. The danger, the blood, the hospital." She tried to wipe away her tears so that she could speak to him properly.

"Okay. You know that your dream will and never could happen. Me, Ellie and Lily are perfectly safe so you don't need to worry about that. And... I can't take the memories away but I can help you make new ones. I can help you to move on but I need help to do that. I can't do it on my own, I need you too. We're going to get through this, I promise. The Pinks. I won't let this defeat you. I love you so, so much." He smiled at her and laid back again. They stayed holding hands for another hour until he spoke again.

"There's one more thing that I never told you..." She looked up, concerned at what he was going to reveal. "I have a friend from the army who I briefly stay in touch with. He was my Sargent during Afghan. I haven't spoken to him for a while because I thought all of this was going away but now that it seems like it's come back maybe I should speak to him." Clara smiled widely. That was the best news she had heard in a long time.

"Danny that's brilliant! You've got someone to talk to who understands how you feel, you should definitely give him a call. In a few weeks time ring him, see what he says."

"It might help me face up to it a little bit more, the reason why I have dreams is because I'm scared. So maybe talking about it to him would make things better." He smiled for the first time in hours. He had found a possible way out and that was all he wanted. It also made Clara relax a bit, knowing that someone out there could relate to him.

After more conversation Clara looked at her watch. Two 'o' clock. She should probably think about giving her dad a ring.

"I said I'd ring my dad soon so that he could bring the girls up? They both really want to see you." He smiled and nodded his head.

"Have I lost my scariness now then?" He teased and they both laughed.

"I think you have. Okay, I'll give him a ring now." She winked at him a pulled out her phone.

About half an hour later they heard footsteps outside the ward so they braced themselves for Ellie running in.

"Mummy! Daddy!" She stormed in and jumped on Clara's lap. Dave walked in soon after with Lily in his arms, fast asleep as usual.

"Hello sweetie!" Clara kissed her on the head and hugged her tightly. Danny smiled at them without saying a word. Dave walked round the other side of the bed and shook Danny's hand.

"How you doing mate?"

"I'm alright thanks, feel like I've been hit by a car but other than that I'm fine." They both laughed and got talking about man stuff. Clara watched on until she was disturbed by a tap on the shoulder.

"Mummy... What's wrong with daddy? Is he poorly like I was?" Clara smiled at her innocence.

"Yes darling, he is poorly, but he's not sick like you were. Daddy had an accident in the car so he's a bit hurt. Seeing you will make him better though!" She grinned and then looked at him hesitantly. Soon she crawled on to the bed to get closer to him.

"Daddy!" She leaned forwards to hug him but dug her elbow into Danny's side. He groaned in pain and clutched the wound. Clara shot up and grabbed Ellie who had darted backwards in surprise. She began to cry and climbed back on to Clara. She hugged her to calm her down.

"It's okay, daddy's a little bit sore at the moment so you have to be careful of his tummy." Danny looked up in attempt to stop the tears welling in his eyes. She had elbowed him right where the operation had been done on yesterday. "Are you okay?!" He smiled as the pain slowly began to recede.

"Yeah, she got me right in the side." Clara smiled and kissed his head.

"You're sure you're okay? You don't need the doctor or anything?" He shook his head.

"No it's fine! Stop fussing!" He grinned at her to show that he was joking. "Ellie, sweetheart?" She slowly turned her head and looked at him whilst rubbing her eyes. "It's okay, it's not your fault. You don't need to be scared. Daddy has hurt himself a bit so you need to be extra careful when you give me a cuddle, come on." He slowly moved over a little bit so that she could move to sit next to him. She edged away from Clara and sat with him.

"Sorry daddy, I didn't mean to."

"That's okay! Come on, give me a little cuddle." She leaned over and hugged him, making sure that she was away from his side. "There we go!"

Ellie slid herself off of the bed and ran over to the bag that Dave had bought with them. It took all of them by surprise how fast she moved. Dave instantly knew what she was going to get. She delved deep inside it and pulled out a folded piece of paper. She hid it behind her back and walked back towards Danny proudly. Clara lifted her back on to the bed and Danny pretended to not have seen the paper. She handed it over to him and he gasped with surprise.

"Wow! What's this then!?" He opened it to see a get well soon picture for him.

"I made this to make you better quicker. There's you in your work clothes, mummy smiling and me and Lily sat on the floor. Me and Lily are watching Frozen and smiling at you. Love you lots daddy." Danny smiled widely and kissed her head.

"Thank you so much! You're a right little artist aren't you! That will make me get better one hundred times quicker! I'll put it on the end of my bed and look at it all of the time." She smiled at him before shuffling on the spot showing her inability to sit still.

"Yeah! Then you won't forget me when you aren't at home." He looked down at her, slightly confused.

"Hey, why would I forget you?"

"Because you're not at home to read me my bedtime story." He laughed slightly at her response.

"I'd never forget you! Not ever ever ever! I'll be home soon to read all of your bedtime stories again. We can even read your favourite one!" She clapped her hands in joy.

"Yayyyy! And do the silly voices!" He tickled her sides and spoke in one of his voices.

"Yes, of course! Because remember, the voices make the story lots and lots better!" He continues to tickle her and she laughed and rolled about on the bed. The smile grew on his face. It was the happiest she had seen him in days.

After more chats, laughs and smiles it was time to go home. Ellie gave Danny a huge hug again and Dave bought Lily nearer so that he could hold her for a second. She had slept right through the visit which was a good thing really. Once they had left through Danny sighed and laid his head back. He seemed a lot more relaxed now that he had seen the girls and knew that they were okay.

"So, they seem happy enough anyway. Did that put a smile on your face?" She leaned over and kissed him gently.

"Yeah, it was so nice to see them, I've never been away from them for this long before. I think I was missing them, that added to my meltdown earlier." She smiled.

"Yeah probably, they seem fine at dads too, that's a good thing." He looked down at her and frowned.

"Yeah that is good but that doesn't mean that you are going to stay here with me 24/7 and not eating or sleeping. I'm not going anywhere! Go home. Have a good meal, sleep all night and then come back tomorrow." She rolled her eyes, his sensibleness made her laugh.

"Okay dad! Yeah, I will, I know you are okay now so I don't mind leaving you for a bit."

"Good, I'll be fine, don't worry!" She stood up and picked up her bag and then kissed him deeply.

"Okay, see you in the morning. Sleep well... I love you Danny Pink." He blew her a kiss and smiled.

"I love you more, Clara Oswald." She grinned and left through the door. In the recent silence Danny began to think about him saying her name, Oswald. It wasn't that he didn't like it because he did but he couldn't help thinking that it should be something else by now... Pink maybe? He smiled at the newfound thought...

**Thank you sooooo much for reading, the next chapter will be slightly happier so don't worry. Well it might be? I haven't thought of that yet! Sorry I'll stop rambling... Byeeee ;) x**


	16. Chapter 16- Freedom

**So yeah, this kinda just happened. Enjoy! ;)x**

**2 weeks later...**

Freedom

Two long and boring weeks had passed by consisting of Danny laying in a hospital bed 24/7. He obviously had the odd chats and visits by family and friends but the rest of the time was spent watching what ever came on on the communal TV or staring at walls. There was nothing to do but watch the world go by, it was rather drab. Danny had got to breaking point. When Clara arrived for her daily visit it was like a god send. He craved conversation and something else to look at as he had become far too familiar with his hospital ward. There was nothing new to look at now, it had all gotten old and boring.

Today Danny seemed to be even more bored. Clara was meant to come at eleven that morning but it had gone half past and she still wasn't there. She was never normally late and if she was it was only by a few minutes. He sat staring at the clock, watching the minutes go by and thinking of what may have caused her to be late when she ran through the door. She sounded out of breath so she must have ran from the car.

"Hey, sorry I'm late." She went over to the bed to kiss him good morning. "Ellie's a bit ill so I had to sort her out with dad and stuff." Danny looked up at her, slightly worried.

"Is she okay?" Clara laid down on the bed next to him so that he could put his arm around her.

"Yeah yeah, she's fine. She's really tired and she's missing you so it's all just got a bit too much. I think she's got a bit of a cold too. A bit of sleep and seeing her daddy home finally should sort it." He smiled, remembering that he was going home today. He had been waiting for so long as he needed to sort out his constant boredom.

"Ahh that's okay then because I'll be home very soon!" He winked at her and smiled, neither of them could wait. "And is her mummy looking forward to having me home too? Or?" She laughed and snuggled with him even tighter.

"Ooh I don't know... There has been some good things about it like having a whole double bed to myself and no snoring at night." He laughed and hit her leg playfully. "I'm joking, I can't wait for you to be home. I've missed you so much Danny." He kissed her head and sighed.

"I've missed you too, so so much. I need to be home, I've seen too much of this hospital, enough to last a life time."

"Yeah well we haven't exactly had the best of luck lately have we? But I think things will start looking up soon. I think we will be okay, in the end."

"Yeah we will, we will be absolutely be fine." They both went quiet for a second and just enjoyed each other's company. Danny looked down at their intertwined hands. There was one thing that he was dying to say, one question that he needed to ask. A question that had been on his mind for weeks now. He had been wanting to ask her for a while but he hadn't found the right moment. Now seemed perfect, just the two of them together.

"I love our life now and it's more than I could ever wish for. We have two beautiful kids, great jobs, a nice house and loads of family and friends to rely on..." Clara looked up at him wondering where this conversation was going. "I wouldn't change it for the world but there's one thing that I think would make it even better. Clara, you are still technically my girlfriend even though we class it as more than that... So I was thinking, why don't we change that?" She sat up and looked at him. Her eyes wide and mouth in a large smile.

"What are you saying? Do you-" He placed his finger on her lips to stop her from saying anything else and smiled at her cheekily.

"Clara Oswald, I love you more than life itself. I didn't know what love was until I met you. You showed me what it means to love and to cherish someone, you taught me how to adore someone as much as I adore you. You are my everything and I never want to lose you. I don't know how I would cope if I did lose you, that doesn't even bare thinking about. I want to grow old with you, as cliche as it sounds, I want to be with you for the rest of my life. Even when we are old and grey and arguing about the winner of antiques road show... So enough of me telling you how much I love you, as you know that already. Here it comes... Impossible girl, would you do me the honour of being my wife. Will you marry me?" A tear fell down her cheek and her hand moved to cover mouth in surprise. She laughed through her tears. She couldn't believe this was happening.

"Oh my god Danny, yes! Of course I will marry you. Even though you used the 'impossible girl' card on me..." He smiled and pulled her in for a kiss.

"You're sure?" She frowned at him.

"Yeah, of course I'm sure! Why wouldn't I be!?" He shrugged and smiled again.

"I don't know? Stupid question, anyway. Come here fiancé." He winked and pulled her in for a kiss again.

They stayed laid on the bed in each other's arms for a while. They didn't want to move. As much as Danny wanted to get home he didn't want to move on from this moment. It was simply beautiful.

"So how long have you been planning that then? Was it just spur of the moment, or?"

"Being in here for a while has given me a lot of time to think about things. As I said, I love our life now but the only thing that it was missing was you being my wife. I'm not saying that we have to get married to be happy or to have a great life but I just thought it would compete us. I didn't know if you would want to but I thought it was good to ask." She smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

"Okay, well you're lucky that I do then aren't you." She smirked as she moved off of the bed. She stretched her arms up and began to speak again. "Oh now we've got ring shopping to look forward to!" He groaned, his amount of hate for shopping was unreal. The weekly shop was always left for Clara to do as he couldn't stand the sight of the Sainsbury's sign let alone the shop itself.

"Well that's the bit that I'm not looking forward to... But despite it being shopping I won't protest this time. I think ring shopping will be okay." She laughed.

"Oh really? There's a first time for everything." She went over to kiss him again when a nurse walked in through the door. She was holding a clipboard and didn't look up as soon as she came in. When she did she stopped slightly and went a little bit red with embarrassment.

"Oh I'm very sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you." Clara and Danny quickly separated and smiled at her apologetically.

"No worries, that's fine. Is everything okay?" She smiled and walked to the end of the bed.

"Yes everything is fine, more than fine actually. You are free to go home now. All of the checks are done so you're safe. You will need to come back for physio etc but I'm sure you've been spoken to about that." He smiled widely.

"Thank you so much, and thank you for all of you're help. You've been so nice to me, I can't thank you enough for that."

"You're very welcome, I wish you a happy and safe recovery." After a smile at both of them she turned and left. Clara ran over to Danny and hugged him carefully.

"That's such good news!" He couldn't wipe the grin off of his face, he had waited for what felt like years to go home and now he finally could.

"I know. Spending two and a half weeks away from home is harder than it looks. Ahh I can't wait to see the girls either." Clara smiled as she went to pick up his bags so that she could get some clothes out for him.

"They can't wait to see you either, and we can tell everyone our news as well! Ugh I'm wayyyy to excited!" They both laughed playfully. Neither of them had been this happy for weeks now, it was so nice for them to be able to put their cares away for a while. It seemed like forever since they had been able to do that. "Right, joggers, t-shirt. Get a wiggle on husband-to-be." She threw the clothes at him one-by-one so that he had to catch them with the one hand that he had available. The other one was still in plaster. He had the next four weeks of that to look forward to.

"Yes wife-to-be." He got up, grabbed his crutch and hobbled out of the room to his bathroom. She watched him go and sighed. He was so vulnerable and there was nothing she could do about it. All she could attempt to do was make him feel batter and make sure that he was safe during his recovery. She would do anything to make sure that that happened.

When they walked into the door they were greeted by an empty house. They walked through and Danny examined the house. He had missed it so much that it had become slightly unfamiliar.

"No children then?" Clara turned from the kitchen to face him.

"Nope, they're at my dads. I thought it would be a better idea for them to be out of the way so that you could get settled and then he can bring them back later." He nodded and went to sit on the sofa. He hadn't walked that far for a while and it was taking its toll on his side and leg.

"Ahh, it's good to be home. Hospitals are horrible." She laughed a little and kissed his head softly.

"I know but I'm going to make sure that you aren't in one for a long time now. I promise."

"That would be nice." She moved to sit beside him carefully. She sat on his injured side so he knew what she was going to say next.

"Come on then, the moment I've been waiting for. Show me you scar!" He laughed at her interest in his wound. He pulled his top up and gently moved the bandage that was covering it. Her mouth widened and she didn't quite know what to say.

"Well... That's definitely going to be something to be proud of anyway! It's huge! How far did they have to go inside you?" He pulled his top back down and tried to remember what the nurse had said.

"I think she said about fifteen centimetres, which is a really long way... It's slightly scary. I haven't even seen it yet, I haven't been able to lean that way to look."

"I don't think you want to, its not pretty soldier boy." She paused slightly as she finished the last syllable. He looked up, slightly surprised. "I'm sorry that was insensitive. I should have thought first, it's just the nickname I'm used to using now." He kissed her to stop her from mumbling any more.

"Hey, don't worry. It was an accident and anyway, I don't mind that name. It's okay. Maybe not all of the time but you can use it if you like." She smiled at how understanding he was. It was a stupid thing to say really.

"I think I'll refrain from using it for now... But I was going to ask you something. You know the other day when you spoke about your friend from the army? Who is he?" He looked down and held her hand tighter which highlighted his tension.

"Well he's called Pete Williams, he was my Sargent when we were in Afghan. He retired at the same time as I left because of reasons that you already know. He was a great help to me as he seemed to understand where I was coming from. He's older than us so Afghan wasn't his first mission, he'd been to lots of places before. One time we were chatting and he told me a story. He told me about when he was in Iraq once years and years ago. Something happened and he had to come home like me. Post-traumatic stress. So we were in the same situations just at different times. So I guess I feel like he could help me now... I thought I was on top of it all, I thought it was going away but the crash brought it all back up again." He stopped talking as he didn't really want to go into too much more detail about it all. Clara sensed that so she stepped in.

"He sounds great. You should definitely give him a call, he could really help you. It's a good thing that you know someone who can help you. As much as I can try, I don't really know what I am doing." He smiled and continued to hold her hand tightly.

"Yeah I think it would be a good idea. But don't get into your head that you don't help me because you do, you really do. You help in different ways, you make me happier which always helps when I am feeling down. I can't ask for more than that."

"Of course up I try to make you happy, I'm your girlfriend. That's what I'm for."

"Correction, fiancé." He pointed at her as he said it to make a point. They both laughed, it still hadn't quite sunk in.

"Fiancé, I need to get used to that!" She got up to make a cup of tea when Danny called to her.

"Can the girls come back now? I know we were going to get settled in but I miss them too much to wait any longer." Clara smiled at how devoted he was to them. He was such a good father, better than she could have ever imagined.

"I'll give my dad a ring now."

A cup of tea and a biscuit later the doorbell rang.

"Oh and our peace is shattered." Danny laughed and watched Clara get up and go to the door. Ellie came running in as usual although this time she was a little hesitant. Hurting Danny at the hospital a few weeks ago had shook her up a bit. It had made her slightly unsure.

"Hey buddy!" Now Ellie smiled at him. He looked a little battered but she could tell that it was her daddy. She ran forwards and jumped on to the sofa. Danny slightly braced himself for her to jump on him but she stopped just before she did and began to examine him.

"Is daddy still poorly?" She pulled a sad face. Danny pulled her towards him carefully into a hug.

"Yeah daddy is still poorly, but Ellie can make me feel better can't she!?" She smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"Yes Ellie can! Baby Lily can too!" She stayed clinging round his neck as he tickled her with his unbroken arm. Soon after Clara came in with Lily in her arms and her dad following. Lily started to cry and move about to which everyone looked up at.

"Oi you! Why are you getting all grizzly!? Daddy's here, you need to be happy!" After a little rock in Clara's arms she quieted down. Clara sat next to Danny and he looked over happily.

"Ahh the Pink family all back together." Ellie stood up on the sofa and started pulling funny faces. "What's that for!?" They all laughed at her random outburst.

"Daddy that's the face I pulled when you weren't allowed to come home." Danny started to giggle and pull her in for a hug again. He had missed his Ellie hugs. They were his favourite part of the day.

"Is it now? Well I like that face lots and lots. You'll have to think of a daddy coming home face now because I'm not leaving you now." She looked at him and paused to think about what she was going to say next.

"You're not going away again?"

"Nope, never ever. I missed you too much!" She hugged him tighter with a proud smile on her face.

"I missed you too much too daddy!" Clara smiled at how cute they were. Danny pulled away slightly and turned to face Clara again.

"And how are you little one? Have you been a good girl?" As he said it she smiled slightly which made them all laugh at the coincidence. Clara handed her over carefully and he managed to hold her. Her bottom resting on his leg and her head on his arm. He looked down at her lovingly. He hadn't realised how long two weeks actually felt, everything seemed like so long ago.

Clara left to sort out dinner and Ellie followed. Danny was still holding Lily who had fallen asleep again now. Him and Dave began chatting.

"Thank you for all that you have done these past few weeks. With looking after the kids, making sure Clara was okay, I can't thank you enough." Dave moved forwards and shook his hand.

"No problem mate. You're family, it's the least I could do!" Danny smiled at that thinking about the fact that he actually would be technically part of the family soon.

"It has just all been a but unfortunate really hasn't it..."

"Yeah well there wasn't much we could do about that was there? Anyway, how are you feeling?"

"Sore, tired, disorientated. Not too good but that can't be helped really. I'm alright really." Dave sent an understanding look his way and sighed.

"Well it was a bad accident, you're lucky you didn't get any worse. Things could have been very different right now... What injuries have you actually got?" Danny laughed as he looked down at his feeble body.

"I'll start a list shall I?" They chucked slightly despite the situation. "I've got a broken arm and leg, a severed artery in my stomach, hence the operation, whiplash and lots of cuts and bruises. The stomach is the worst one though."

"Recovery will take a while then... You'll get through it, you're strong you two. A solid couple, you'll be fine." He smiled.

"We will indeed." As he said it Ellie and Clara emerged back into the room. Danny looked at her willingly to which she was confused.

"What's that look for?" She laughed.

"We've got something to tell everyone haven't we?" Suddenly she understood and a wide grin appeared on her face. She moved to sit down next to Danny again. Dave's gaze followed her as she went.

"We do indeed... Do you want to do it?"

"No, you do it." They linked hands and smiled at each other once more before she began to speak.

"So when Danny was in the hospital he had a lot of time to think so he asked me a really big question this morning. Dad were getting married!" Before anyone else could say anything Danny stepped in.

"Well if you approve anyway, in the circumstances I didn't get time to ask for your permission." They grinned at Dave's surprised look. He couldn't take it all in.

"Wow! Of course you have my approval! That's amazing, congratulations! I'm really, really happy for you both."

"Thank you, I can't quite believe it yet either..." Clara sighed as Ellie sprung up from the floor.

"Married!?" Clara picked her up and placed her on her lap so that she could cuddle her.

"Yeah! Me and daddy are going to get married!" Ellie looked up in awe. She knew what marriage was but she didn't fully understand. Her puzzled look only confirmed that.

"So you will have a wedding?"

"Yeah and you can be a bridesmaid if you like!" She smiled at that.

"Can I choose my dress?"

"Of course you can. We can make you look like an absolute princess."

"Yayyyyyyy!" She screamed and began to clap.

"Are you happy then!?" They all laughed.

"YES!"

They spent the rest of the afternoon celebrating until Dave left for home. Once the girls were in bed Danny and Clara finally sat down together.

"Ahh, that was a nice end to the day. You happy?" She looked up at Danny who was half asleep.

"Yeah, ridiculously so. If a little tired."

"You're allowed to be tired, you're injured." They giggled.

"I was thinking, should I call Pete in the morning?"

"Yeah I think you should, I mean, if you think you're ready that is." He sighed and looked down at her.

"I don't think I will ever be ready... but I'd rather get it over with. I want to be able to put my old life behind me but I can't do that until I've made that call. I don't want to procrastinate about it really, it needs doing." She smiled proudly at him.

"I think that's the right choice, it will help you to move on and that's all we want. We want to be able to create a new chapter in our lives."

"We do, and it's gonna be a good one." He moved to hug her.

"I hope so... I love you."

"I love you too."

**Meh, not keen on the ending but oh well. Thank you for reading. Next chapter will be up in a week of so, may be longer as I'm quite busy at the moment!x**


	17. Chapter 17- Help

**Hey here's the next chapter, sorry it's late. It's the first week of summer so I've been kinda busy! **

**I don't know what you guys think of this fic or what you want to happen next but I'm not really feeling it anymore... It's not that I don't enjoy writing it, because I do and I really like how the story has panned out but I feel like I'm not getting enough from it. I'm so grateful for the followers and reviews etc that I have but I'm not getting as much interest as I used to. I just want to know if you enjoy it or not... So because of that I want to ask you, should I bring this fic to a close? Or do you want me to carry on? Please leave a review so that I know what to do, thank you. I'm not trying to sound ungrateful for what I already have but I don't know if I'm writing stuff that you like or not :(**

**Enjoyyyy**

Help

Danny walked into the room with a small smile on his face. He gently placed his crutch down and heaved himself down on to the sofa, his injuries persisting to make life difficult.

"Call, done." Clara smiled and kissed him excitedly.

"I'm proud of you, you know that right? I'm so glad you built up the courage to do this, it could really help."

"I'm glad I've done it too... So I felt as though I would be more comfortable meeting him out of the house. It's not that I don't want him here or anything, I just want to see him on my own first. So I'm going to see him on Friday in the park across the road."

"No, no, I understand that. You need your space. And that's fine, not too long away either so you can't change your mind." She winked at him making him smile.

"Precisely."

Friday

Danny was quiet all morning. Clara should have expected it to be honest but she just hadn't realised how nervous he was. It wasn't meeting the friend that worried him, it was bringing up all of the memories that had haunted him for years. He dreaded that part. The thought of it made him shudder but he knew that he needed to do this. Burying them at the back of his mind hadn't worked so a new approach was needed.

During the morning Clara had done her best to act normal and keep the girls under control whilst not putting Danny under any pressure. That was the worst thing to do. He had noticed the tension in the house though.

"You do know that you don't need to keep the girls away and quiet." He smiled across the room at her trying to keep the calm atmosphere. She sighed and looked up at him.

"I know, I'm sorry. I can't help it. I know you are nervous and that this is a big thing so I just wanted to make sure that you are as calm as possible." He hobbled towards her and placed his hand on her chin to lift her head up from the floor.

"Look, I'll be fine. You know that. What you do normally is plenty, you help me anyway. You don't need to change." With a kiss, he turned around and headed for the door. He grabbed his shoes and went to carefully place them on his feet before looking down at his legs and realising that only one shoe was needed. Clara watched his face drop as he remembered his broken leg again. He was hurting more than ever.

He got up and kissed her goodbye.

"Good luck... I hope he helps, I really do." He smiled and left through the front door. As he got a little further towards the park he realised that he was a few minutes early. He had left in good time as walking wasn't his strong point at the moment. The last thing he wanted was to be late.

After a few minutes of watching the world go by he saw Pete walk around the corner. His heart began to race as he stood up to meet him. He was greeted by a handshake and a wide smile which slightly put him at ease.

"Long time, no see!" They laughed and sat back down on the bench. "What on earth have you got yourself into this time!?" Danny sighed.

"Car crash... I'm recovering but things have been pretty bad." Pete stopped smiling and looked sympathetic instead.

"How long were you in hospital for?"

"About three weeks, so a long time... It was hard being away from family. I hated it really."

"What family have you got now? Wife? Kids?" The thought of Clara, Ellie and Lily made him smile. Pete could see that.

"I have a fiancé, Clara, who has been suffering for six long years now. And I have two girls, Ellie who's nearly four and Lily who's only seven weeks." Pete seemed to smile at that, as though he knew something that Danny didn't.

"Ahh quite young kids then. Good, that's good." The way he spoke made him sound like some sort of therapist. It was too early in the conversation for Danny to question him so he said nothing. "What about your job? What do you do to fill the time now?" He hesitated slightly before answering as he knew what Pete would say.

"I'm a maths teacher at a local secondary school." Pete laughed but then stopped when he realised that Danny was serious.

"Well, well, well, the soldier has brains. Done alright for yourself then in the end!" Danny nodded.

"It looks like it... What about you then?"

"I've got a wife but no kids. We're not really 'kid' people, we decided that when we got married, twelve years ago now. And as for a job, you may have guessed, I'm a therapist. The army was my life and being a soldier was the only thing that I knew how to do so I decided to put my experiences into something slightly less dangerous." That confirmed Danny's suspicions. This could be a good thing.

"I suppose I did guess. I could tell by the way you were talking to me." They both laughed at his predictable-ness.

"The voice and the words always give it away I suppose... So what's the real reason you've asked me to meet you? Obviously it's nice to have a catchup, we shouldn't have ever lost touch really. But there was a reason right?" Danny felt his body tense. He couldn't get the words out even though he wanted to scream them. He sat there in silence, completely powerless. Pete saw his distress and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay Danny, it's okay to not be okay. It's the army stuff isn't it. The crash brought it all back up didn't it." He nodded and tried to conceal the tear that had tried to escape his eye. "Try to take deep breaths. Take your time to speak, don't rush it. We have all day."

After he had calmed down he attempted to speak.

"When I was in that car after the crash I was helpless. I couldn't move, I was in excruciating pain and there was nothing I could do about it. As I fell in and out of consciousness I kept seeing Clara and the girls and the boy and all of Afghan... I didn't know what to do. Since then I've been struggling. I can't shake off the memories. They give me nightmares, breakdowns and just destroy me. I don't know what to do." He breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad to have got that out of his system.

"That's normal you know. You're not alone. When I was sent home from Afghan it was the worst year of my life. I simply couldn't live with what had happened and the grief it was giving me. So I was diagnosed with post traumatic stress, as you know. But that aside, I'm glad you came and spoke to me. I think, if you want me, I can help you. Obviously free of charge, old friend perks and all that." Danny smiled a little.

"Yeah, I'd like that. Thank you so much."

"Now I'd like to ask you a question. Your nightmares, what do they include? Is it always the same situation every time? Do the people change? Do you see loved ones in the dream?" Danny looked down to make answering easier.

"It's always the same situation... You know which one that is... And the people always change. The soldiers stay the same as I remember them really clearly but the boy and the people around change. I see Clara, Ellie and Lily there but they don't know who I am. I call out to them and they don't look round. They run in the opposite direction and then the guns fire and..." He stopped speaking as the next part was too painful to say and it didn't really need saying out loud.

"Okay. How often do they happen?"

"Every other night, sometimes more. It changes depending on how I have felt in the day."

"And how do they stop? Do you wake up or does Clara wake you up?"

"Clara wakes me, I need shaking a lot though. I'm always in a deep trance and it takes a good hour to calm me down afterwards... I feel so bad having them. It's not nice for Clara but I can't help it."

"Never think that. Never think that you are a burden on Clara because you're not. She loves you, even that part of you." He looked up at the trees above them and sighed.

"I keep thinking to myself that if I just push things to the back of my mind they will go away and I'll be fine. It worked for a while but then something happens which spurs it all on again."

"I think you need to speak about it. You need to face up to it as hard as that sounds. You should speak to Clara and see if you think it's a good idea to see me more often. Maybe once a week to start with? Now I know it seems like I'm pushing you to do this and that I'm being very straightforward but I believe that I can help you. I'm confident, in fact, that I can help you." Danny looked at him. Something about what he had just said made sense. For the first time in years he had found someone that knew what they were talking about. Something clicked inside his head, he knew that this could mean progress. He and at first thought that he was being slightly too upfront but after hearing him out Danny had began to understand his forwardness.

"Would you like to come back to mine now? You can meet Clara and the girls and get the ball rolling even quicker?" Pete smiled at Danny's keen attitude.

If I'm welcome, I don't want to intrude in on your Friday."

"No, no, no you'd be welcome. Come on, it's just down the road." They got up and began to slowly walk towards the house.

When they got there, Danny unlocked the door and calls through to Clara so not to shock her with Pete standing there.

"Clara, I'm back. There's someone I'd like you to meet." She walked through with Lily in her arms looking slightly flustered. When she saw Pete at the door she immediately knew who he was. She didn't recognise him but it didn't take Sherlock to guess who he would be. "This is Pete." She smiled widely and politely shook his hand. Some had to readjust the baby in her arms in order to do so making the whole manoeuvre look kind of awkward. Pete seemed to understand though.

"Hi! I'm Clara, nice to meet you. I've heard lots about you." He looked surprised at that.

"All good I hope!" They all laughed.

"Of course, of course! All positive. Come through and sit down, cup of tea?" He took his shoes off and followed Danny through.

"Thank you, I'm okay but thank you for the offer." With that, Clara followed them in as well. When they entered the room Ellie ran to Danny as she always did but then hesitated when she saw Pete. She didn't expect someone else to be there.

"Hey monkey! This is my friend, Pete." He smiled and waved at her which made her giggle nervously.

"What's your name then?" He knelt down to be on her level.

"Ellie." She went all quiet and embarrassed which Clara thought was incredibly cute.

"That's a lovely name! My sister is called Ellie and she used to look just like you!" Ellie giggled again and hid behind Danny's leg. Pete stood up to sit down on the sofa. He gave Ellie another reassuring smile. She ran over to see Clara who was still holding Lily. For once she was awake and not crying. That made a change. She looked over at Pete again and then pointed at Lily.

"This is my baby sister Lily. She's very small." He smiled as he leant over to see her. Clara passed her over.

"Hello Lily. You're adorable aren't you!" He looked up and spoke to Clara. "She's beautiful. Congratulations. Danny said that she's only very young."

"Thank you, yeah she's only seven weeks so she's still very demanding."

"Are they ever not?" They both laughed.

"Oh I hope so! Have you got kids?"

"No I haven't, me and the wife didn't really want to have them. At the time it wasn't possible, what with the army and stuff." They got into a conversation which pleased Danny. At least they got along. That was a starting point.

Later on the conversation died down slightly so Danny stepped in.

"Pete's a therapist now. He gave up the practical side of the army and decided to help people mentally instead." He wanted to get the main point across as it was on his mind. He knew that at the end of the day Clara wouldn't say no but he just wanted to make sure. Clara smiled again and seemed to like the thought.

"Oh really, wow that's great." Pete smiled back.

"Yeah, I think so. And I believe that I can help Danny. I mean, only if you're on board too. I wouldn't go ahead without both of your consent." Clara looked over at Danny. Her face was emotionless as though the words didn't quite go in. Eventually she spoke.

"Well, I guess. Danny, are you happy with this?"

"Yeah, I think it will be a good thing. Pete's been through the same thing as me and knows where I am coming from." She smiled but then looked down at the floor. Danny could tell that something was wrong but he didn't want to ask her in front of Pete.

"Okay then, thanks for calling me Danny. I'm glad you did. I think this will be good, from a personal perspective as well as a professional one." Danny smiled and shook Pete's hand.

"Yes, I think it will. Thank you for popping round. I'll give you a call?" He stood up and headed for the door before answering.

"Yes okay, then we can arrange things." He said his goodbyes and left. As he went Danny seemed to relax but then he tensed once more when he saw Clara's face. She walked into the kitchen right past him without even looking up from the floor. That was a definite sign that something was up.

He walked in doorway and saw her standing facing away from him. She was staring out of the window and he could see her reflection slightly. She soon noticed that and looked down so that he could no longer see her emotion. Danny sighed and walked over to rest his hand on her shoulder. When he did she looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong!?" The question seemed to spark even more emotion. She suddenly couldn't withhold her tears so they began to pour down her face as she cried slightly into his shoulder. "It's okay, it's okay. Let it all out." He didn't know exactly why she was upset but he could take a guess. A lot had happened lately and when things built up it suddenly got too much for her. She would be fine for weeks but then would crash and cry for a while. She did it all the time and this was obviously that moment.

When she had stopped crying as much she began to speak through her tears.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cry all over you again." As she said it they laughed slightly at her looking at the wet patch that had appeared on the shoulder of his grey t-shirt.

"Don't be silly, it's fine. It's better to let it out than to bottle it all up, I know that better than anyone. I learnt that from you." She smiled at that. After another small hug she began to speak again.

"I was fine until you said that he was a therapist. Obviously I don't mind you getting help from him, actually I want you to. It will be good for you. It was just the word 'therapist'. I thought of psychologists and doctors and mental hospitals. I know that sounds really far-fetched but that's what came to mind. It hit me that you do need help. I don't know, it just upset me as I finally realised that you actually have post-traumatic distress and that I don't know how to help you." He hugged her tighter, realising what had just hit her.

"I know it's hard but we will get through it, together. It's hard to face up to the fact that I have a problem, if you want to call it that. I don't think even I have properly yet. But the best thing we can do is get help." She looked up at him and began to cry again. He could tell when she was going to cry as her mouth curled upwards and her big eyes dilated even more.

"I know, I know but... You're my Danny, you're my perfect Danny and, and I don't want you to have a problem. I want you to be well and, and I want you to be happy. I can't bare seeing you sad." Tears began to well in his eyes now, this and really hit her hard. He hadn't realised how much pain and sadness she had been concealing until this moment.

"Come here, look. I know that this is hard and that it is going to take a lot of willpower to overcome but we can do it." He touched his heart and then touched hers. "No matter what happens we will always love each other in here and that will never change. That love can defeat any problem that I may have." She wiped her eyes and gave him another hug. They stood in silence for a few minutes until they had both dried their eyes slightly.

"Oh god look at us. We've only been engaged for three days and we're already emotional wrecks." He laughed.

"Emotional wrecks or not, we're still engaged and that is the important thing." He lifted up her chin with his hand and kissed her softly. Just as they pulled away a little, Ellie wandered in.

"Eww kissy kissy!" They all laughed at her putting her hands over her eyes and pretending to be sick.

"Oi you! One day you'll be kissing your husband and you won't think it's gross at all!" She screwed up her face and shook her head.

"Nope, never ever!" Clara kissed her head and looked back over to Danny. He had pulled a slightly uncomfortable face.

"That's something that I really don't want to imagine just yet!" She laughed as she imagined him being the sort of overprotective father that would never let the girls out of his sight, even when they were all grown up.

After putting the girls to bed they settled in front of the TV with a glass of wine. Danny had opened the bottle whilst Clara had been upstairs so it had been a complete surprise to her. She frowned when he passed her her glass.

"Hey I thought you weren't meant to be drinking? What with the medication and that?" He shrugged and attempted to get comfortable on the sofa.

"Stuff following the rules, I've got more important things on my mind." He kissed her and then took a sip from his glass.

"Oh and what would that be?"

"Would me calling you Mrs Pink jog your memory?" He gave her a cheesy smile that she just couldn't resist.

"Mmm, let me think." She chuckled and kissed him again. "We so need to get wedding planning, I can't wait." He smiled at that, he was so glad that she wanted to marry him.

"Me too, so how about we let your dad take the girls tomorrow as he hasn't seen them for a while and we can go shopping and get some rings?"

"I like that idea, we can go out for a meal after?"

"Yeah, and then maybe do some planning when we get back later?"

"Mhumm, sounds great." The kissed again and settle with their wine in front of a movie.

**Thank you for reading! Please please please read the message at the top and tell me what you think. I do have ideas for other things but I'd like to know your opinions before I do that :) x**


	18. Chapter 18- Pain and Joy

**Hey so it looks like I'm back again... I've decided to continue the fic but I'm not sure how long for. I really want to write the wedding-y chapters so I'll definitely continue it until after that anyway! Oh and sorry for the lateness of this chapter, I have been on holiday so I was unable to write, enjoy :) x**

**Ps I'm soooo sorry but I haven't had time to read through it so I apologise for any small mistakes :)**

Pain and joy

Dave had been to collect the girls and had taken them out for the day which gave Clara and Danny some real relaxation time. They needed to get the wedding sorted a bit more thoroughly than just a few ideas on paper and Danny needed a rest day really. Things had started to take a toll on him mentally and physically and the symptoms were really beginning to show. He had had another nightmare last night, a really bad one. It took Clara almost an hour to calm him down which was the longest it had ever taken her. He had also walked into the side of the table and knocked his side and his leg. Ellie had seen so he tried to conceal the pain. It wasn't until they were alone a few minutes later that he broke down a bit. Peace and quiet was all they needed right now.

By lunch time Danny was still upstairs having a nap. Clara went up to see him as she hadn't expected him to be asleep for so long. When she walked in he looked so peaceful. She almost didn't want to wake him but she knew that she needed to as he wouldn't sleep the night if she didn't. She gently shook his arm and laid next to him gently.

"Danny." She whispered his name to get his attention. Suddenly he jumped up and began to breathe heavily. It shocked Clara just as much as it shocked him. "Hey, it's okay, it's okay. It's only me." He continued to breathe heavily and began to search the room with his eyes to check that it was safe. Clara sat up and looked into his eyes to get his attention. Soon he calmed a little and hugged her tightly. A tear fell down his cheek and Clara knew exactly what had happened.

"You're okay, you're okay... Phew." He calmed his breathing and hugged her even tighter.

"Why wouldn't I be okay!? I'm always okay." She smiled at him as she queried what he had said.

"The dream... I saw you and Ellie and Lily and..." Another tear fell from his eye. Clara stroked his face to calm him down.

"Everything is okay, it was just a dream. You're here in our house completely safe. Me, Ellie and Lily are absolutely fine. You have nothing to worry about, I promise." This seemed to calm him so he laid back down. He didn't say anything as everything he would say he had said before. He hated putting such a burden on Clara and he was sorry for that but there was no point telling her that over and over again. She knew and understood that already.

It wasn't until a good five minutes later that either of them came up with the courage to say something.

"Was it another Afghan one?" Danny nodded. Clara felt his head move up and down so she didn't need to sit up and look at his expression.

"Yeah but you were in it again, it was really vivid this time. More vivid that it has ever been before." She didn't really know what to say to that. She knew it pained him but she couldn't think of a way to reassure him that she hadn't used or said already.

"Pete is coming later, you know you'll have to tell him about it right?" Danny went quiet for a second.

"Yeah. I'll try. It's hard to speak about it, I'd rather just forget it all to be honest." Clara sat up now and looked him in the eye.

"I know it is but that's what Pete said. He said that you can only get over something if you face up to it. Pushing it aside may seem like the easier option at the moment but that's not tackling it, it will keep coming back. Trying is all that you can do, be brave like I know you are. You'll defeat this, I know you will." Danny smiled weakly. What would he do without her? He sat up and rubbed his hands over his face. Clara also got up and went to open the curtains. They walked downstairs to get some lunch.

Over lunch Danny seemed to really perk up. He was no longer sad and down, they were having a laugh with each other like they always used to do. It was nice, all of their cares went away when they were together. It was like nothing had ever gone wrong and nothing could rain on their feelings of elation. They could stay there forever.

While they were speaking and laughing there was a knock on the door. The smile was wiped from Danny's face as he knew who it was. Clara welcomed Pete in and they all went into the living room.

"Hi, how are you doing today?" Danny looked at him as he wrestled with his crutch to put it down on the floor. Clara took it off of him and placed it down for him to which he smiled at.

"I'm alright, plodding along." Clara gave him a harsh stare. She then nudged her head in Pete's direction. Danny shook his head to stop her from making things look obvious. She sighed and spoke up instead.

"Go on, tell him about earlier." Danny out his head in his hands and shook his head. He found the whole nightmare thing very embarrassing and didn't want to tell Pete at all. So Clara took it into her own hands. "He had another nightmare during his nap earlier." Pete nodded and looked over to Danny.

"We're you not going to tell me that?" Danny looked up, feeling slightly like a school kid who had forgotten their homework.

"I would have, it's just, I find it so embarrassing to talk about and..."

"That's normal! You're bound to feel a bit ashamed but that's fine because by talking about it we can get rid of them for good." He nodded and looked to Clara.

"There we go!" She smiled at him and left the room. "I'll leave you to it." She shut the door and left for the kitchen. As glad as she was that Pete knew about earlier on she felt slightly bad for forcing it into the conversation like that. After all it needed to be done but it was a sensitive subject for Danny.

She stared out of the kitchen window realising that she had nothing at all to do. There was stuff like housework that needed doing but need was different to want. She had no desire of doing the cleaning on a Saturday afternoon. She couldn't even remember what life was like before she had the girls. What did she do with her time? Sometimes she felt like her whole life was taken up by them and that she had no time what so ever and other times she would remember that she didn't really mind that. She loved her kids, even if they did drive her up the wall sometimes. A familiar noise broke through her thoughts and made her look out of the window even more intention. She smiled and ran to the front door. She didn't even bother to close it, she just ran. She stopped by the edge of the road and waited for the Doctor to pop his head out of the door.

"Oh hello, how did you know I was here?" Clara sighed.

"Well your box doesn't exactly land quietly does it... And I was looking out of the window at the time." He smiled and walked towards her. Both of them walked slowly, resisting the urge to hug each other tightly. Soon it was too much for Clara and she ran and almost pounced on the Doctor. He picked her up and swung her round in his grasp. They had missed each other so much. It hadn't even been that long in the scheme of things but it felt like an age. A lot had happened in the last few months as well, things that Clara would have liked to have been able to talk about with the Doctor. She missed his comfort over the time he had been away. "Ahh I've missed you! Where have you been? And what happened to your weekly visit to us?" The Doctor followed Clara back into the house.

"Oh, sorry about that. You know how it is with time travel and stuff, it's hard to keep track of time. I've just been exploring really, I'm still working on the 'who is that man' mystery... I can't figure out who he is and I hate not knowing."

"But he hasn't done anything else to you right?" The Doctor looked up, smiling a little at her concern for him. It was nice to know that someone cared for him, the universe could be a lonely place sometimes.

"No no, I just want to find him. What he did to you was unforgivable. You and Lily could have been badly hurt, he should never get away with that." She looked into his eyes. He was angry, angry that she could have come into harm.

"I know, that was a pretty scary day. An extremely painful one too but everything is okay now remember. Don't go getting yourself into any trouble for me okay." He nodded although not very convincingly.

"Would I ever?" They laughed a little until the Doctor began to look around the room.

"It's very quiet, where is everyone?"

"Well Danny is in the living room with his therapist and Ellie and Lily are at their grandads house so that gives us peace to chat for once!" He frowned.

"Therapist? Does he have something wrong with him?" Clara looked down at her hands and began to scratch the tip of her fingernails as she always did when she was nervous or upset.

"Kind of yeah... You've missed quite a lot actually, these last few months haven't been easy for us. Danny was in a car accident and was badly injured." She paused for a second which allowed the Doctor to interrupt.

"Is he okay!?"

"Yeah he's coping. Luckily the car came off worse than him but nevertheless there is still a long list of injuries. He's recovering now but that's not the problem." She felt herself getting upset again. She hated the words 'post-traumatic stress' and 'therapist'. She hated talking about the situation as well. "The crash brought back all of the stuff from the army, basically like a backlash. It was the dangerous situation, it triggered the memories. So now he's struggling with post-traumatic stress, hence why he has a therapist. The guy is actually one of Danny's old Sargents so that helps I suppose..." She stopped as there was no point explaining anything else. The Doctor had got the gist of what was happening.

"Oh Clara, I'm sorry..." He saw the pain in her eyes. They were calling for help and comfort. Maybe he could give a little bit of that. "And how are you? Are you coping?" She looked up at that. That was the first time anyone had asked her that for a while. Tears began to well in her eyes again but she breathed to stop the crying.

"Quite honestly Doctor, I don't know. I'm coping but only because I have to... For Danny and the kids and my dad. At the moment I can't really see a light at the end of the tunnel." He took her hand and gave her a reassuring look. She smiled back and then took her hand away to wipe her eyes. "Come on, let's go for a walk." She stood up, picked up a pen and wrote Danny a short note so that he knew where she was.

Danny,

Doctor has come to visit, gone for a walk, won't be long

Clara xx

Neither of them said a thing until they stopped at a bench in the park not too far from the house. The Doctor didn't really know what to say, as usual, but Clara realised that. He never was good with feelings.

"I've missed you these last few months you know, more than usual." He looked at her, slightly confused as to where the conversation was going to go.

"I've, umm, missed you too." She tutted.

"Not like that... I've missed travelling with you. I've missed having no care in the world and running to save the universe just you and me. It's only these last few months that I've started to feel like that. Before I didn't particularly miss it because things were different then. I found Danny, we fell in love, we were excited within our relationship. And then I fell pregnant and everything changed again. We were so excited, the same with the second time as well. I didn't have any time to stop and think at that point... I love my family and I wouldn't change them at all but my life isn't the same as it used to be. I though I had gotten over that but recently it's become harder to comprehend than I thought it would be." The Doctor looked at her intently. His expression then changed when she stopped speaking. "Don't worry, you don't have to say anything, you just need to hear me out. I just need you to listen to how I feel, no one has done that for a while."

She leant her weight on to him so that her head was resting on the inside of his shoulder. Very reluctantly he put his arm around her. He then pulled her slightly closer so that she could feel the comfort of his hug. She deserved that at least. She didn't look up but she smiled into the distance. She hadn't had a hug from the Doctor for a long time now and it felt so nice. She really had missed him.

"What about the Danny situation then. How are you coping with that? Because you don't sound like you are." The smile faded from her face and she could feel the pools of tears growing within her eyes again.

"I am coping I suppose but I feel so helpless. I feel like I can't help him and that whatever I say just delays his pain instead of healing it. Usually I can heal his pain and the girl's pain too. Not being able to is not a nice feeling. Before the crash we weren't having the best of days... Ellie was really sick, Lily kept crying, Danny had loads of work to get done and the house was a mess. We were bickering because of the stress so he stormed out of the door to go and get some medicine from the chemists. It was then that I got a call from his mobile saying that he had been in a crash... My heart sank and I honestly thought I was going to lose him, and after that horrible day as well. Since then things have been really tough, helping him and managing the kids amongst everyday things that need doing. No one has really asked for my opinion or how I feel for ages now, not on purpose, I'm just not really the priority right now."

"Of course you are a priority! You are so important. Think about it,if you weren't there where would they be? They wouldn't be nearly as well looked after as they are now. You're doing a good job." She smiled but then the tears came flooding back.

"I just don't know what to do..." She began to cry and bury her head deeper into the Doctor's chest. Not knowing how to react he just continued to hug her. He didn't let go of her until she sat up and leaned forwards to wipe her eyes. "Oh god... Look at me. Sorry, I just needed to tell someone how I am feeling." He smiled.

"Don't apologise, it's perfectly normal to be upset sometimes." She laughed and leaned back on the bench again.

"What would you know about normal?" She joked and hit the Doctor playfully on the arm.

After a moment of silence he spoke again.

"I think you are doing the right thing."

"What do you mean?" She questioned him, not really understanding what he was meaning.

"Sticking by your family. I think that's where you belong."

"But you loved us travelling together? What's changed?" He looked down at her and smiled.

"Yes you're right, I did. And I do miss it but you belong with your family. On Earth, having a normal life. Danny needs you right now and you are helping him in the only way you know, by showing him that you love him. It may not look like it is helping him but it is, believe me." Without another facial expression he looked away into the distance. Clara too began to look out towards the park. Something about what he had just said had struck a chord. She had never heard him speak like that before, talking wasn't ever his strong point. But today he made the most sense anyone had made in months. She continued to hug him for a good ten minutes but then light began to fade into the early evening twilight.

"Come on, we should go back."

As they were walking Clara remembered the thing that she was meant to say to the Doctor earlier but never actually did.

"Amongst the gloom of the last few months one good thing did happen... Danny asked me to marry him and I said yes." The Doctors face lit up and he smiled widely.

"Oh Clara! That's brilliant! I'm really happy for you. Both of you, all of you I mean." She smiled at his reaction.

"And my wedding day won't be complete without a certain someone there..." He looked at her with a blank expression.

"Who?"

"Who do you think!? You numpty." She nudged him slightly as they walked making him realise what she meant.

"Oh me!"

"Yes you! You're my best friend and I insist that you will be there." He flung his arms in the air in obligation.

"Well I guess I'll put it on my calendar then." Clara slowed down slightly and looked at him suddenly.

"Really? You'll come!?"

"Of course I will! But I'm not dancing..." She laughed and linked arms with him as they strolled into her street.

"I'll get you on the dance floor somehow." She winked at him. "And since when did you have a calendar?"

"Good point, I don't but I'll remember don't worry!"

When they got back into the house Danny rushed to the door, as fast as he could walk at that moment in time anyway.

"Ahh there you are! I was starting to get worried." Clara smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He looked at her face as she turned a little to place her shoes back on the rack.

"Have you been crying?" She paused and turned back to him slowly.

"Yeah but don't worry about me, I'm okay."

"I do worry about you though, that's the problem." He tucked a stray bit of hair behind her ear and looked at her with deep concern.

"I'll speak to you later I promise. But in the mean time! I've managed to persuade the Doctor to come to our wedding!" Danny smiled and leaned to shake his hand.

"That's great, you'll be very welcome, I'd be honoured to have you there." The Doctor shook his hand back.

"Thank you, I'm honoured for the invite." Clara smiled secretly at them finally getting along. It was rather odd as seeing them happy together was a rare sight to see.

"Do you want to come in for a bit?" Danny offered.

"Thank you but I'm okay, I'll head off. But I promise to be at that wedding, I'll pop in to find out the date." Clara smiled and went to hug him.

"Thank you for today, it means a lot to me." He smiled.

"You're welcome, I'm glad that I helped you."

"See you very soon."

"Yeah." Danny moved towards the door and put an arm around Clara. They watched the TARDIS dematerialise and then closed the door again.

Clara began to walk into the living room when Danny stopped her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him so that she was facing him. He wrapped his arm around her and looked into her eyes. She smiled and went to kiss him but he pulled away. He wiped the tears from under her eyes and smiled. It was a sad smile that made Clara hurt even more.

"What have I done to you, eh?" She moved her hand up to meet his wrist that was resting near to her cheek. "It was me who made you cry wasn't it? And don't lie to me Clara, please." She looked down as admitting to it whilst looking at him was too painful.

"It wasn't just you... It's the whole situation, it just got too much." He sighed as his hand dropped from her face. Without saying a word he hopped over to the sofa. "But it's not your fault... You know that right?"

"I'm glad you see it that way." He spoke without turning to face her. Clara moved to sit next to him apprehensively.

"But it's not your fault? Having post-traumatic stress because of your career in the army and being driven into by some idiot not watching the road is not your fault." Now he looked over to her. Her heart broke a little when she saw his expression. Tears were falling down his face, she had never seen him this distressed before.

"That bit isn't but everything else is. I've expected you to cope on your own, I've forced you into situations that you shouldn't have to deal with and I've made everything so much more difficult for the whole family." He finished speaking and began to sob. Clara felt tears falling down her cheeks as she began to feel his pain. She grabbed on to him and held him tight within a hug.

"Oh Danny." They sat in the same position crying into each other for the next few minutes without saying a word. "No I'm not going to let this defeat us, we can defeat this." He lifted his head up and smiled through his sadness. She wiped the tears from his cheeks and smiled back at him.

"I hope so because I can't live with this for much longer... Things need to change." She looked him in the eyes which confirmed that he meant what he said.

"Don't say that... Please don't say that. Look we have plenty to do and to look forward to! Our wedding, watching our beautiful children grow up and so so much more. Don't give up just yet, promise me."

"I promise but we haven't planned anything again... We were meant to use this day for wedding planning." She laughed slightly despite the situation.

"Yeah well that didn't exactly go well did it. Don't worry, we have time." Just as she finished speaking there was a knock at the door. "Oh that will be my dad and the girls." She stood up and began to wipe the tears from her face. Danny did the same to try to get rid of the evidence of what had just happened.

When Clara answered the door Ellie ran in and jumped for Clara to pick her up.

"Hey you! Have you had a nice day with grandad and Lily?" She smiled widely which answered the question for Clara.

"Yeah! We went to the park and went on the big swings!" Clara smiled at Dave as he walked in and put their bags down.

"Wow! You brave girl! That sounds like great fun, why don't you go and tell your daddy what you've done." Clara put her down to let her run off. Dave walked over to her and stroked her cheek. He could tell that something was wrong.

"Are you okay?" She smiled a little before answering.

"Yeah, it's just been a really tough day that's all."

"Okay, I'm here for a chat if you need, you know that."

"I know, thank you." They walked into the living room where Ellie was full of her stories of the day. Danny watched on as she told him all about it. Clara took Lily from her dad and kissed her head gently. She began to speak to her softly.

"Hello princess, I've missed you today. Have you been a good girl?" She smiled down at her as thought she was expecting a reply. Of course there wasn't one but that didn't matter, that didn't distract from how perfect she looked.

"So how's the wedding planning going?" Dave asked. Danny and Clara looked at each other before Clara answered.

"Not too well I'm afraid." Dave began to smile even more.

"Great." A confused expression arose on both of there faces.

"What do you mean 'great'?"

"I've been quite busy for the last few weeks working on a special project, that's what I'm calling it anyway. The last few months have been really hard for you both so I didn't expect you to come up with a plan this soon. Which helps me as I've got a surprise for you both. Your wedding is next month, all you have to do is turn up."

"What do you mean?"

"It's done, it's all planned and paid for. You deserve this more than anyone so I thought I'd make things easier for you both. Now you can just enjoy your day without any stress." Clara looked over to Danny who was pulling the same shocked expression as she was.

"Oh my god, I don't know what to say..." She exclaimed.

"I'll match that..." Dave laughed at both of their faces.

"Say that you love the idea and that you'll be there?"

"Of course we will, thank you so much!" She sprung forwards and hugged him tightly. It was the sort of hug a five year old gives their dad when they come home from work. It put the biggest smile on Dave's face.

"Wow, I don't know how to thank you." Danny put his hand forwards to shake Dave's.

"It was no bother, seeing you two walk down the aisle is enough of a thank you. I can't think of anything better." Clara and Danny sat back down still completely stunned. "Oh there is one thing, you'll need to choose your dress Clara. I was going to get advice from other people on what you would like but I figured that I don't know enough about what you would choose." She smiled.

"That's no problem, that was going to be the easy bit of the planning. But now we have none to do, God. Wait, where is it going to be?" Dave pulled his fingers over his lips as though he was closing a zip.

"It's a surprise!"

"Oh come on!? What are we going to be doing?"

"Nope! Not telling. But I will tell you one thing..."

"Go on then!"

"You're gonna love it!"

**Woah sorry this got a bit long but I hope you enjoy it! I'm SO excited for the next few chapters! The next one will probably be late as I'm going on holiday again but I'll get it written as soon as I can! ;) x**


	19. Chapter 19- Wedding Day

**Wedding chapter! So excited for this! I hope you enjoy it ;) x**

**P.s this will be a two parter :)**

Wedding Day

It was four in the morning when Clara woke up. She had tried to get back to sleep but nothing was working. After all, today was the day. The day when she could finally call Danny her husband. She was excited but also extremely nervous. Dave still hadn't given any hints away and even on the day of the wedding all they had was an invitation and their outfits. She was totally in the dark and she didn't like that really. Nevertheless she was excited. Her and Danny hadn't really had any plans to start with so her dad organising it lifted a huge weight off of their shoulders which she was truly grateful for.

She began to sit up to get out of bed when an arm reached out and pulled her back down. At first it scared her but then she realised that Danny had woken up. Without opening his eyes he spoke to her, still half asleep.

"It's very early you know." She smiled and snuggled down into his warm chest.

"I couldn't sleep." Now he opened his eyes so that he could look at her understandingly.

"Got your wedding brain on, eh?"

"You read my mind... I'm just apprehensive as we don't know what's going to happen or where it is etcetera etcetera. I know it will be fine I just, kinda want to get it going. I'm fed up of waiting." He slid his arm over her shoulder so that he was hugging her more.

"I was about to say the same thing. It's a bit scary not knowing where you're getting married... But like you said, it will be fine. We trust your dad to come up with something that everyone will love." She smiled at the trust that Danny had in her dad. She loved that they got on so well.

"Exactly, that doesn't mean I'm going to be able to sleep now though." He chuckled.

"Me neither. Well we could something else?" He winked at her and giggled. She snuffed and shook her head before hitting him on his chest.

"Is that all you think about!?"

"No! I think about other things as well!" She laughed.

"What sex and football?" He tutted.

"Ahh okay, you got me. But I'm a man, what can you expect?" They both laughed as Danny began to kiss her on the neck before lifting up her top.

The next morning they were awoken as usual by crying from the next bedroom. Clara stirred awake and gently lifted Danny's arm up over her head so that she could wriggle out of the bed without waking him. She grabbed her dressing gown and walked out of the room with the biggest smile on her face.

"Hello monkey!" She leaned over the cot and picked up a very grisly Lily. "Aye! You should be smiley today! Me and daddy are getting married and you get to wear a pretty little dress!" She gurgled when Clara finished speaking which made her laugh. It was almost as though the word 'dress' made her grin. Maybe she was going to be the girly one out of her and Ellie? Only time would tell.

As she headed downstairs she heard little footsteps following her. She grinned and turned round to see a very sleepy Ellie.

"Mummy today's the day!" She spoke through a yawn whilst rubbing her eyes.

"Yes it is! Are you excited?!" Ellie gave the biggest smile ever answering the question before Clara had even heard the answer.

"YES!" She laughed at the explosive reply.

"Wow that was a huge yes, you must be excited! Come on, let's get some breakfast." Ellie was so hyper that she nearly galloped down the first four stairs. Clara's heart jumped as she saw it. "Hold your horses Ellie, we don't want any accidents! Careful down the stairs, eh?" She nodded and held Clara's had to the bottom step. A few minutes later Danny appeared to join them. He had chucked on some clothes and got a few things ready. He was being picked up by Dave soon so that they could get dressed separately to keep things slightly traditional. As much as they decided that they weren't traditional people they wanted to keep some things the same.

"Daddy!" He walked over and kissed Ellie on the head before doing the same with Clara and Lily.

"Morning my beautiful girls!" Ellie began to chat away to him giving Clara time to look at their expressions. All three of them had the biggest smiles on their faces, it was so nice to see. Everything had momentarily been forgotten to make way for this day. They really couldn't wait. Soon enough there was a knock at the door. Danny grinned and went to open it. Dave bundled in along with a few others and some small dresses. As soon as Clara laid her eyes on them she squealed. She couldn't wait to see the girls all dressed up. Everyone came into the kitchen where Ellie began chatting away again.

"Hey darling." Dave came over and kissed Clara on the cheek. "All ready for the best day of your life so far!?" She laughed.

"I was born ready! But that's a bold statement to make Mr Oswald, are you sure it's going to live up to what I'm imagining?" She grinned as he breathed a worried sigh.

"I have no idea what's in that imagination of yours but I'm sure that what I have come up with will make you very happy indeed." He tapped her on the nose and grinned. A few of Clara's friends came over to speak to her. Charlotte was already dressed up but Erin was still in her pyjamas.

"Once unorganised, always unorganised I see." Clara laughed as she commented on Erin's inability to get ready on time.

"Well you know me! But I'm never late remember! I'm fashionably late." She winked and went to hug Clara. Erin had been Clara's best friend for as long as they could remember. When the subject of chief bridesmaid came up Clara didn't even have to think who to give it to. Erin was her first choice without a doubt. Charlotte, however, was a work mate. She had been teaching at Cole Hill long before her and Danny but they had always got along well. Being Clara's best friends, she immediately knew who to ask to help her get ready beforehand. They could have a laugh but also know that things would get done.

Everyone was happily chatting when Dave looked at his watch.

"Right everyone! 1:00, don't be late!" He winked at Charlotte and Erin before looking over to Danny. "Time we weren't here aye?" He nodded and they began to get ready to leave. Danny walked over to Clara and kissed her softly. As he walked off he turned to speak to her.

"I'll see you later... Oh and enjoy this next hour 'coz soon you'll be all mine." He winked and they left out of the door. Clara laughed and hugged Charlotte.

"You betcha!" Erin let out an excited cheer as she picked up Ellie and made her hands dance around in the air. She began to hum a tune and tickle her tummy. She began to laugh and join in with the humming. Just as Clara was about to speak Lily began to cry.

"Aww baby! You're gonna love today I promise." She danced around the room with Lily in her arms which made her settle down and begin to laugh.

Clara walked over to the bottle of champagne on the worktop and held it up for the others to see.

"Ooh I like your thinking!"

"Wahayyay! Roll on the pre-wedding drinks!" Charlotte and Erin laughed and grabbed some glasses. Once it was poured out and Ellie had been given some juice on request so that she didn't feel left out they all stood around the table.

"So, cheers to our last celebratory drink of freedom before I'm permanently tied to adult life!" They all raised their glassed into the middle and chanted 'cheers' in unison. Clara took a sip and thought about what she had just said. It had a stronger meaning to her than the others. Getting married meant a new chapter in her life. It took her even further away from life with the Doctor. That took a while to acclimatise to. She couldn't wait to get married but it just seemed like she was getting further and further away from what she used to be like. As though parts of her were fading away. A screech from Ellie broke through her thoughts. Erin had gone back to making ear dance again, at least everyone was enjoying themselves. That's all Clara could ask for.

***************************** Meanwhile, Danny and Dave were chatting away in the car on the way to the house. Not much to Dave's surprise Danny was closely watching where they were heading to, trying to crack what was planned ahead. Dave chuckled at the sight, it felt good knowing how the day was going to pan out.

"You're not going to get any clues looking out of the window you know." Danny sighed and looked over.

"I know... I was just wondering if we were heading anywhere to do with the wedding." Dave shook his head.

"Nope, just back to mine to get ready. All will become clear soon enough!" Danny smiled and relaxed back into the seat. There was nothing he could do or say that would make Dave crack so he might as well stop trying.

A few minutes later they arrived. As soon as they walked into the door Danny was greeted by a very excitable Adrian. He put him in a head lock playfully and then laughed.

"Get off!" He pushed him away and laughed. They then shook hands and went in for a hug.

"Today's the day!" Danny seethed through his teeth to show his nervousness.

"I know, and I know nothing about my own wedding day!" Dave winked back at them as Adrian laughed.

"Yep and you're not getting anything from me either mate! But I do know one thing... You sure do need a pre-husband drink!" Dave cheered and chucked them both a beer. They laughed and chatted in the anticipation.

"Come on then! Upstairs! We need to get all of you beautiful girls looking even more beautifuller!" Erin picked up Lily and began to rock her. Charlotte grabbed Ellie and they headed out of the room. Clara grabbed the dresses on the way.

"You do know that beautifuller is not a word right Erin?" She scoffed.

"So!? It's your wedding day! Forget all of your English-y stuff! And that's not a word either but oh well." Clara laughed.

"Okay, what ever you say!" They reached Clara and Danny's bedroom and placed the dresses down. As Clara undid Ellie's dress a little side note fell out. She picked it up, slightly confused.

My darling Clara,

I hope you like the girls dresses. I had them specially picked to match

your dress so I'm sure you will. In around two hours you will be walking down the aisle, in what I hope will be your ideal venue, hand in hand with me, the proudest dad

of them all. Know that I love you with all of my heart and am so proud of what you have become and what you have achieved. Your mum would have been so so proud of you. See you soon,

love from Dad x

A tear fell down her cheek as she held the note close to her chest. How did she deserve such an amazing family? Erin came to her side and hugged her tightly.

"He's right you know, she would have been so proud of you. She would have loved to see this day." Clara smiled and wiped her eyes.

"She would, and she will be in all of our hearts today." After a moment of automatic silence they got to work. Clara opened the first dress and gasped. "Oh god, it's beautiful. Look Ellie!" Ellie gave an excited grin and tried to grab it. "Woah no no no! Be careful with it. We will help you put it on in a second okay?" She nodded and continued to look at it. Clara then opened Lily's dress. It was a beautiful white baby-grow with a lace tutu around the edge which was laden with jewels and sparkles. All of their eyes widened. "They're going to look so beautiful." She leaned her head on Erin's shoulder and Erin leaned her head on Clara's. This was going to be such a special day.

"Come on then! We need to get all done up!" Clara grinned at Charlotte's time keeping. She always did have a thing for schedules.

"Right, girls first I think." Clara spoke as she picked up a very sleepy Lily. She rocked her slightly to keep her quiet but soon placed her on the bed to get her changed. Erin picked up Ellie and moved her over so that they could put her dress on too.

Once they were both ready Clara laid them down next to each other so that some pictures could be taken. Soon enough she was crying again though. Erin came to her comfort and hugged her tightly.

"They look so gorgeous Clara." She looked over to her and nodded.

"They do, they look absolutely perfect." Eventually she wiped her tears and got herself into gear. "Okay, now for me..." She grabbed her dress and headed into the bathroom.

After a few beers Danny began to show his nervousness. It was Adrian that noticed it, he knew Danny too well.

"Mate, I think you'll make an amazing husband and that today will be one of the happiest days do your life. There's no need to be uptight, you'll smash it." Danny smiled and placed his beer can down on the table.

"How could you tell I'm nervous?" Adrian grinned.

"Ohh, let's just say I know you far too well. You did that thing you do before you have an important meeting or something. You look around the room a lot and lick your lips. Call me observant."

"Wow I didn't even know I did that let alone you noticing it."

"Well you never know, being over observant may come in handy at some point." He winked and grabbed the cans to put them in the bin. Dave stood up and made his way towards the door.

"We should get a move on. We can't be last to arrive this time remember." They all laughed as they picked up their suits and headed off to make themselves look presentable.

The suits were a surprise to Danny, he hadn't seen them yet. Dave said that it would 'spoil the colour scheme of the wedding'. The first look in the mirror was a pleasant surprise. The suit was navy blue with a slight shine on the material. It was paired with some brown shoes and a blue tie. Dave and Adrian walked in soon after in almost matching suits.

"Whatcha think?" Dave asked with his fingers crossed.

"I think we look rather dapper. I love them, thank you." He smiled a sigh of relief.

"Don't thank me yet! You've not seen the rest of the day!" Dave winked making Danny feel even more uptight. He was excited and he did trust Dave but he just wanted to know what was going to happen.

"Right, we should get off, better to be early than late." Adrian picked up his things and headed for the car. He got into the front with Dave which confused Danny slightly. Normally he would sit in the front with Adrian in the back.

"Oh yeah, groom in the backseat please." They winked at Danny as he got inside. He was finally going to find out what they had in store for them...

Clara emerged from the bathroom to be greeted with two huge gasps. Erin and Charlotte both had their hands over their mouths in awe.

"You look so beautiful..."

"Danny is a lucky man!" Clara blushed a little as she walked out towards them. She didn't really like being the centre of attention, it embarrassed her. She was soon distracted though as Ellie had ran towards her along the bed and began hugging her.

"Mummy you look beautiful." Her attempt at copying what the others had said melted her heart, although her pronunciation of beautiful was interesting to say the least.

"Thank you sweetie! So do you! Your daddy is going to be a very happy man indeed." Ellie smiled. She seemed to be so much happier in herself since Clara and Danny had sorted things out recently. They hadn't realised how much she had noticed the changes in the house and how it had effected her. It was nice to see that she was more relaxed now though.

"Makeup and hair timeeeee!" Erin jumped up and pulled Clara to sit down in front of the mirror. Clara frowned.

"No offence Erin but are you really the best person for the job?" She laughed as Erin remembered the memory she was referring to.

"Sure! That was years ago!" She winked and they both began to laugh hysterically. Charlotte moved over towards them.

"Urm is someone going to tell me this story!? Come on! Spill!" She gently hit Clara on the arm in attempt to make someone explain. Clara and Erin looked at each other until Erin began to speak and do the makeup.

"Well, it was prom night and we were about sixteenish... Clara came to mine early so that we could get ready together but then I realised that I didn't have any eyeshadow. So we went on a search around the house for things we could use instead as we didn't have time to go to the shops. We looked in the kitchen cupboard and found some stuff. Clara used some charcoal from the barbecue and I grabbed some chocolate spread. Then my mum walked in and we looked like clowns, Clara looked like she'd been punched and I looked like I had rolled in a muddy puddle. She was devastated and we had to get ready in about fifteen minutes so that we weren't late." They continued to laugh and chat until everything was done. While they were getting things done Charlotte got on to brushing Ellie's hair and finding their shoes. Soon enough they were ready.

When they got downstairs Clara began to feel nervous again.

"So come on then, where are we going?" Charlotte frowned at her.

"Do you really think we'd tell you?" Clara sighed and begged for them to reveal it all.

"Oh please!?" They both shook their heads.

"Nope, you'll find out soon!" Erin nudged Charlotte and they both looked out of the window. "Actually you'll find out very soon, our ride is here!" They all grinned and went towards the door. Outside was a pristine white horse and carriage. It was full of banners wishing them a lovely wedding day from all of their friends and family. Ellie tugged on Clara's dress.

"Look mummy! Clip-clops!" She giggled as Clara tried to work out what she meant.

"Oh! They're called horses! They're feet just go clip-clop!"

"Okay. Can I touch one?" Clara picked her up and took her towards one of them. It moved its head towards her little hand so that she could stroke it carefully.

"Good girl Ellie! Shall we get in?" She nodded her head frantically so they headed to climb up the steps along with the helping hand of the driver.

The car pulled up at the venue and Danny immediately got out of the car to see where they were. The car park was in the middle of a ring of old oak trees so it was impossible to see anything.

"Where are we?" Dave motioned for him to come towards him. They walked down a beautiful little alleyway covered with ivy and rose plants before coming out on to a clearing. They appeared on a large field which was covered with small pathways and beautiful flowers. The grass was greener than Danny had ever seen grass be before. There was a huge variety of trees around the edges which lead the eye to a small lake in the middle. The water was clear and covered with waterlilies and dragonflies. The afternoon sun was shining down on the middle of it which lit up the whole area. It really was exquisite. He stared outwards in utter awe.

"Like it then?" Dave put an arm round him.

"It's perfect, Clara will love this, you know that?" He grinned.

"I guessed she would, so I chose it in confidence. But there's something else you need to see, come this way." They began to walk along the paths and round a corner. The path gradually disappeared into grass and the trees stood in alignment on each side. They drew Danny's eyes forwards until they met the main venue. A large white gazebo hung from poles of ivy in front of them housing the chairs needed for the ceremony. Again, it was perfect. Picturesque, even. Dave didn't need to ask Danny for the verdict this time. His face told his reaction quite clearly.

They walked around for a few minutes to take in the sights before some guests began to arrive. Danny and Dave greeted them and they went to fill up the seats lined up to the left of them. Danny felt the tension again now, he wanted to get the ball rolling. He couldn't wait to marry Clara, it had been his dream ever since he had met her. It would complete their relationship and their lives. He had to mention something to Dave to put his mind at rest.

"Wait. Shouldn't you be with Clara to walk her down the aisle?"

"I'm going to go and wait for them to arrive in a second, they're just about due." He walked off to talk to Linda and some others giving Danny time to look at who had arrived so far. Most of the seats were filled so that put his mind at ease slightly. Soon enough he noticed one man in particular who wasn't there, probably one of the most important guests. The Doctor. Clara would be devastated if he wasn't there so he walked around to see if he had managed to hide away somewhere. He usually was good at blending in when he wanted to. Danny walked around the tent until he came to the back. He was met by a gathering of trees that lead him on a small path into the centre. It was cornered off from everywhere else which made a nice quiet area. As he got further inside he saw what he was waiting for. The TARDIS. Knocking on the door, he went to find the Doctor.

"Doctor? You in there?" A familiar Scotsman soon appeared at the door looking slightly different. "Wow, you look very... smart." Danny was shocked to see that he actually had more than one outfit, the Doctor wasn't one for effort really.

"Well it's not like I go to weddings often so I thought I'd make an effort. Am I late?"

"Uh, no, no. Come this way. Clara should be here soon." They walked back along the path and towards the tent. "You can sit anywhere you like. Make sure Clara sees you though, she's really looking forward to having you here." He smiled at that. He liked to make her happy.

Ten minutes passed and everyone had arrived. Danny was stood with Adrian at the front ready for the ceremony. Dave jumped through the gate a few metres from the tent and gave a huge thumbs up. Danny took a deep breath and smiled at Adrian. It was time. He watched intently as Clara and her dad emerged from the gate. They all walked round to the end of the aisle. The music began which lead to a laugh from Danny and Clara. It was the first song they ever danced to, it certainly brought back memories. Danny then saw Ellie and Lily. Now he had said to himself that he wasn't going to cry but he couldn't help it. They looked so perfect, all three of them. He felt so lucky. Clara met him at the front of the aisle and smiled widely. She wiped away his tears whilst trying to conceal her own.

"Hey."

"Hey, you look so perfect." She grinned.

"Thank you, you ready to get married?"

"I'd like nothing more." They winked at each other and held hands tightly. Now was the start of their new chapter and it was going to be beautiful.

**So thank you for reading. This was kinda a build up to the wedding kinda thing so meet chapter will be the actual wedding and stuff. I hope you enjoyed it :) x**


	20. Chapter 20- You & Me, Forever

**Part twooooo, hope you enjoy it!**

You &amp; Me, Forever

The music faded away and everyone took their seats. Ellie was stood at the front after refusing to sit down. She had said that she was far too excited to do that which made the whole tent laugh. In the end she was allowed to stand as it was clear she wasn't going to do any harm. The vicar began to speak. Clara and Danny both smiled again. It was finally happening.

"We are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Daniel Pink and Clara Oswald." Clara tried to hide her giggle when 'Daniel' was said. She had never thought of him being called Daniel, it was too formal. He gave her a look which made her laugh even more. The vicar paused slightly which made her stop, she was so bad in serious or pressured situations. She just laughed all the time. "In the presence of God..." The rest of the sermon was a bit of a blur for them both. They were just staring at each other with the most love anyone could feel. After all they weren't exactly religious, that wasn't the point but to them the vows were most important. Danny was terrified for them, he had practised so many times but it only seemed to enhance the nerves.

"First, I am required to ask if there is anyone present who does not wish for the bride and groom to be lawfully married today." There was a pause until Ellie stood up and began to walk around.

"Can I throw the flowers now?" Clara laughed and turned to face her.

"Good timing El, but wait a minute, that's not yet!" They all laughed as Dave picked up Ellie to sit her down.

"To continue, I now see no reason why the bride and groom cannot lawfully marry. We will move on to the vows which are promised and commitments made to God. Daniel Pink, do you take Clara Oswald to be your wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honour and protect her, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?" With a worried smile, he spoke.

"I do."

"And do you, Clara Oswald, take Daniel Pink to be your husband? Will you love him, comfort him, honour and protect him, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." They linked hands and Clara looked to her dad for support. This was the part she had been dreading, public speaking was never a strong point despite being a teacher.

"Clara Oswald and Daniel Pink, I now invite you to join hands and make your vows, in the presence of God and his people." Danny took her hand and breathed deeply. Their vows had been written by themselves so weren't very religious. That wasn't a problem but they just didn't want to screw them up. It was an important part of the wedding. Maybe even the most important part. Danny turned away from the vicar to face Clara. They held each other's hands again.

"Me first? Or you?" He whispered to her allowing her to make the decision.

"You can go." He smiled and took a deep breath.

"Okay, so it looks like I've been nominated to go first." Everyone laughed. He had read in a book that starting a speech with humour was the best way to do it, God he was such a nerd. "Clara Oswald, the impossible girl." As he said it he looked over to the Doctor who had began to smile. Danny gave him a nod and looked back to Clara again. "I know you don't like that nickname much but I'm going to use it as I think it's appropriate for what I have to say next... Ever since I met you my life has been one huge whirlwind. It hasn't always been in a good way, hence the limp and the occasional weep, but it has always been one of a kind. Our first date was a mess but looking back on it now I think it sums up our relationship quite well. Slightly dysfunctional and always unpredictable but perfect in every way. I can't even put into words how much I love you but I don't think I need to as you know that already, so instead I want to thank you. Thank you for all of the laughs. Thank you for all of the surprises and scares. But most of all thank you for putting up with me and giving me the most beautiful children in the world and the best life I could possibly ask for. I can't thank you enough for what you have done which is why I am going to try to give all of you the best lives you can have in the time I will spend with you to come." A tear fell down Clara's cheek. That was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard, he sure was amazing.

"And you, Clara." The vicar ushered her to speak but she was having trouble keeping herself together. Dave got up and passed her a tissue before kissing her on the cheek. She took a deep breath and wiped the tears away.

"Phew sorry, I'm going to give this my best shot but it's not going to come without tears." The room filled with laughs again which made her feel so much more comfortable. With a reassuring look from Danny she began to speak. "When I was planning what I wanted to say today I realised that I can't possibly put how I feel about you into one paragraph. You deserve so much more than that. So I'm going to attempt to condense it down... Danny, the life we have now is better than anything I thought I would get. As you said, it isn't always smooth running but it is amazing nevertheless. You are the greatest man I have ever met and I don't think you quite realise that sometimes. You're kind, funny, courageous, loving and have a huge amount of patience, which is greatly needed in our household." He laughed and looked at Dave who rolled his eyes in agreement. "You put up with any mood I may be feeling whether I need hugging, shouting at or just telling some advice, you have an answer for everything. Putting up with me is no mean feat and, just so you know, you're doing great... You're also such an amazing dad to our two beautiful children who constantly benefit from your support. We, all three of us I mean, love you with all of our hearts and wouldn't change you for the world." She paused to look at her dad. Dave instantly knew what she was going to say next. A tear fell down her cheek. "And I know that if my mum was still here she would love you and would be so, so proud of you and everything you have done for me. Thank you." He wiped her tears away and kissed her head softly.

"If the rings would like to be brought up please." Ellie smiled knowing that she could finally do part of her job. She picked up the cushion with the rings on it and passed it to the vicar. Clara's heart melted again, that was the most adorable thing she had ever seen.

The rings were given and the vicar continued to speak. All Clara and Danny could do was smile as they knew this meant that it was nearly official.

"Under the blessings of God, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." An almighty cheer spread across the room as they kissed each other softly. They both pulled away and smiled.

"I love you, Mrs Pink."

They walked down the aisle again hand in hand. Ellie walked along in front of them throwing, or rather dropping, flowers down for them to follow. When they got on to the grass Clara noticed the Doctor sat on the back row. She had seen him earlier but it hadn't quite registered that he had actually come on time. He got up and smiled at the happy couple. Being his usual shy self, he didn't approach them immediately. It took Clara to usher him over before he plucked up the courage to do so.

"You made it then!" He smiled as he returned the hug she had greeted him with.

"Yeah well I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Congratulations." Danny walked over and shook his hand.

"Thank you."

"Oh and you look lovely by the way, and so do these two!" His voice softened when he spoke to the girls. Although he was inexperienced with children he was so good with them. Ellie loved him to pieces.

"And I see you're wearing a different suit, first time for everything." The Doctor chuckled at the fact that Danny had said the same thing to him earlier on in the day. Was his outfit change really that unpredictable?

"Yes, it only comes out on special occasions."

"Well I'm glad that you came, it wouldn't have been the same without you. Stay for a bit longer though? Don't go." He stood up from where he was talking to Ellie from and looked at Clara.

"Will there be dancing? Because I don't really think-" She laughed, bless him.

"Yes there will but don't worry, you don't have to if you don't want to. It is optional." That seemed to relax him.

"Okay, I'll stay." He smiled and started to talk to Ellie again. Clara pulled Danny away a little bit and turned him the other way.

"Is it just me or did he seem a bit edgy?" Danny faced her and put his arm around her shoulders.

"I guess he did but he is a bit out of his comfort zone, like weddings aren't really him." She shrugged.

"True but I think there's something else, like he's got something on his mind."

"Give him time, he'll tell you when he's ready, he always does." She smiled but was then distracted as some other guests came over to speak to them.

A few minutes later Danny had gone off to speak to some of his friends leaving Clara to find her dad. She walked over to see Lily wriggling and crying in his arms. Linda was at the side trying to help out but she just made it worse. It was as though Lily didn't like her either, it must have subconsciously ran in the family. That made Clara laugh.

"Alright there?" She giggled at her dads helpless expression. She must have been crying for a while. Clara picked her up and rocked her in her arms. She instantly calmed down much to Dave's delight. "There we go, shh, shh. It's okay sweetheart."

"She obviously missed her mummy." He leant in and stroked her head whilst cooing quietly.

"What can I say? Mother's touch." She winked and continued to rock Lily. Suddenly she felt Danny come up from behind her. He put his arms round her waist before kissing her head. He then moved one round to stroke Lily's hair. "Want to take her for a minute? She's really wiggly today." He laughed and picked her up carefully. He took her weight on one arm as he still had to be careful of the other arm. As she settled on to his chest she kicked him in the stomach, right where his operation had been. It still hadn't fully healed. He bent over in pain and sighed deeply. Clara jumped forwards to support him and Lily.

"You okay? Come on, sit down." He pulled Lily back into his chest and sat down slowly.

"Ahh, you're getting strong now aren't you!? Eh?" He jogged her up and down a bit as he said it which made her smile. Clara bent down a bit to be at their level to check that he was okay. He had a habit of not admitting pain, it really worried her.

Danny, are you okay?" He grimaced as he got more comfortable on the chair.

"Yeah I'm fine, her foot caught me right on my side. I'll be okay, it shocked me more than it hurt." She sighed in relief and kissed his head. As he grimaced again Adrian appeared. He immediately looked concerned.

"Everyone okay here?"

"Oh yeah, yeah, fine." He smiled and nodded in acknowledgement. Then he ushered Dave over and they walked away a bit to talk. Clara and Danny looked at each other in suspicion. Was there going to be another surprise?

"The cars are here waiting." Adrian said.

"Okay, well we can get going then!" He smiled and they walked back over. Clara stood up and walked towards them.

"Get going where? Where are we going now?" Dave laughed at her confused expression. There was something quite liberating about Clara not knowing, normally she was the first to know everything. The rules had been reversed for once.

"You'll see!" She sighed and begged him some more.

"Oh dadddd! Please?" He laughed and shook her off of his arm.

"No! You'll find out!" He winked at her and went to tell the guests to get going. She sat back down next to Danny who was playing with Ellie's hands and making her wriggle even more than she was anyway.

"Where on earth are we off to now!?" He smiled and put his arm round her.

"I don't know but I think we'll love it."

Dave escorted Danny, Clara, Ellie and Lily to the car that was waiting for them. Just before he waved them off he leaned into the window and spoke to Clara.

"Oh and before you ask, yes the taxi driver is under strict instructions to keep the location secret so don't go trying to get it out of him missy." She smiled and waved as the car drove off.

They drove a really odd way round the roads. It wasn't like Clara knew the area amazingly well but she knew enough to pick out that they weren't going a simple route. Danny looked at her in confusion. She matched the look back at him. Of course Ellie was completely oblivious and was chatting away as normal and Lily had fallen asleep in Danny's arms again. Oh well, at least they were all happy. That was what mattered.

Soon the driver turned off the road and headed across a field. It wasn't all grass, it had a vague road to follow. That made Clara even more suspicious. She felt like she knew where they were but she couldn't quite place it. It all looked so familiar. They approached a hill that was reasonably steep. Once they had got to the top they could see what was ahead for the first time. Seeing it suddenly jogged Clara's memory making her gasp. Danny looked over in confusion.

"What? Do you recognise it?" She smiled at him as a tear fell down her cheek again. This time it was a mixture of happiness, excitement and surprise instead of nervousness.

"Oh my god yes, I can't believe it! I didn't know this place was still here!" The confused expression on Danny's face intensified.

"Have you been here before or something?"

"I used to come here most weekends with my dad and my mum. It was like our special day out, I always looked forward to it." As happy and surprised as she was her face saddened slightly when she mentioned her mum as it always did. "But after we lost mum we stopped coming as it wasn't the same without her." Danny smiled, a happy yet understanding smile.

"Well it sure does look beautiful." She grinned and then moved Lily around in her arms to make it more comfortable. Although she was only three months old she was getting stronger and heavier by the minute.

They were greeted by Dave who opened the car door for Clara. He could tell by the look on her face that she was stunned. That was just the reaction he wanted.

"Dad, how did you even... What did you-" He laughed.

"It brings back memories huh? I spent hours, days even, considering whether to book this place or not. I just didn't know if it was a good idea. I didn't want to come back and see that it still wasn't the same without her and that I'd spoilt the memories we had. But I came here for a viewing and it just felt right. Obviously it still isn't the same but it feels like a nice place to celebrate. A nice place to relive and make more memories to cherish." She soon realised that she had stopped crying but instead was staring at the building in awe. It looked so familiar yet so distant.

"I wouldn't have even known where to find this place to be honest. I think part of me shut out the memories, it was my way of coping. I still remember coming here but it's all a bit fuzzy. But I have to say, it's more beautiful than I ever remember it being. I love it, I really love it." Dave smiled in relief, getting it wrong would have been terrible.

They walked inside the big oak doors and into the reception. Dave smiled at the receptionist as he had met her a few weeks before during the organisation. They then turned a corner into a huge ballroom style room. First their eyes were drawn to the huge mirror on the back wall. It shone light on the tables and chairs from the huge windows on either side that looked out onto the beautiful countryside. The tables were decorated with a blue colour scheme which matched Dave and Danny's ties perfectly and were arranged round the dance floor in the middle. The biggest table looked out to all of the room and set the scene completely. Danny and Clara stared at it in amazement.

"Wow."

"Just wow." Danny finished off her sentence as he knew they were both thinking the same thing.

"This is incredible dad! I don't know what to say." He walked into the room a bit more and held put his hand for her to take.

"Well you can come and sit down? That would be a start and then we can bring the rest of the guests inside." They all grinned as they took their places behind their placemats. People began to file in to enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

Later on light began to fade and the room became a nice dim brightness. The candles on the table reflected on the windows and it all enhanced the beauty of the room. People had began to settle down a little now and were ready for some speeches. Dave stood up first.

"Hello everyone and thank you for coming today. Phew, God I'm glad its panned out alright, I'd be a dead man if it didn't... When I first came up with the idea to organise this wedding for them people thought I was mad but actually I can say that I'm glad I've done it. Now the day is nearly done I can see the benefit and that is a really good feeling." He turned to face Clara and Danny who were listening intently. "We all know that the last few months haven't been easy and you've been through a tough time but I think you've come out of it as stronger people. A lot more tired, but definitely stronger. The least I could do for you was plan your big day, you two deserve it more than anyone. I just hope that it has turned out to be everything that you wished for. Another thing I wanted to say is thank you, especially to you Danny. You are the best thing that has ever happened to Clara. She's now a changed person inside and out. Watching her grow and mature is something that I feel mightily proud of and you are such a big part of that. You're loyal, caring, kind and one of the most genuine men I have ever had the fortune to meet. You've always been there for Clara and your family and it makes me so happy to know that you always will be. Also thank you to both of you for giving me two of the most beautiful grandchildren ever. My life simply would not be the same without all four of you so just thank you..." He raised his glass for a toast to which everyone else did the same. Danny stood up and hugged him tightly. He couldn't belief that Dave had such a high opinion of him, it warmed his heart.

The speeches continued until it was time to hit the dance floor. The music began and everyone joined in. Ellie took centre stage grooving along, doing what she does best; making everyone laugh. Danny went to join in with her which gave Clara a second to look around the room. She saw the Doctor watching on from the side. He stopped looking and smiled gently when he saw her glance over to him. She strolled over to see what he was up to and to see if he was going to tell her what was up.

"Hello." He spoke quietly but sternly so that he was able to be heard over the music.

"Hello, still not feel like joining in then?" He laughed and followed it with a knowing look.

"You of all people should know that I am not the dancing type, got two left feet me." She chuckled at the thought of him trying to dance, maybe not the best idea.

"Okay, then come outside with me?" With a nod they headed out the side doors and onto the grass. There was a small lit path in front of them which lead to a small dome-shaped seating area. They followed it down and sat in the dim evening light. Clara shivered slightly in the evening breeze that had sent the warm air into a chill.

"Cold?" She nodded so he took his jacket off and placed it over her shoulders. He then sat a little closer to her and leant forwards to put his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands. Without saying a word he looked into the distance.

"Thank you, don't go getting cold yourself though." He grinned into the view.

"Alright boss." When he didn't continue to talk she knew that something was up.

"What's wrong? Don't just shrug it off, I can tell when something is bothering you." After a few seconds pause he sighed deeply and sat back so that he could see her face better.

"I've just been doing a lot of thinking lately and I don't quite know what to do."

"About what?"

"The 'mysterious' man, or what ever you want to call him. I think I've cracked who he is but that's proving not to be a good thing." She sat forwards and began asked him urgently.

"Who is he!? Because he caused so many problems and he shouldn't have got off with no punishment. Like I'm guessing that he's not dead?"

"Well I say I know who he is, I don't exactly. He got thrown into my time stream so he could be anywhere in the past, present or future. He keeps coming up in my head, like little flashbacks or flashforwards, I can't really tell. I think he's going to come back one day and I dread to think what he might do." She looked at him intently not quite grasping what was going on.

"So he's not dead?" He shrugged.

"I don't know. He could be but I highly doubt he is. I don't recognise him and I'm sure that I don't know who he is so surely he must be from my future? I never forget a face and I certainly wouldn't forget his. But if he is from my future, that means that I can't find out who he is until we meet him again. I can't go forwards in my time stream so there's no way of knowing what to expect next time." Clara sat back on the bench and sighed. What could she say?

"Well in that case, were just gonna have to wait for a but aren't we? But Doctor, do one thing for me, don't worry about it. It will happen when it happens and not before so there's no point worrying." He smiled, straightened his tie and stood up.

"Okay, I promise, let's get back inside." They linked arms and walked slowly up to the building.

They eventually got home at around three in the morning after one of the best day of their lives. Dave dropped them inside but left the girls sleeping in the car.

"I'll go and bring the girls in." Danny said as he headed back towards the door. Dave suddenly spoke to stop him so Danny turned back round. As he did he stumbled on his feet, the alcohol had finally hit him. Clara laughed but then stopped as she realised that she felt the same way. They were definitely drunk.

"No, no, leave them to me. I'll take them to mine for the weekend. You need to enjoy yourselves, it is your wedding night after all." Danny and Clara grinned at each other seductively. They knew exactly where they were heading once Dave had gone. Clara walked over and kissed Danny before holding him round the waist. Dave saw their expressions and held his hands up.

"Okay, okay, I really don't need an image of that in my head... Enjoy it and all but no thank you." Clara laughed as she kissed him on the cheek. Danny then shook his hand and he left through the door.

Danny winked at her and they both paused waiting for one of them to make the first move. After a few seconds Clara ran over and jumped into his arms. They fell back onto the sofa whilst kissing each other lovingly. She rolled over slightly so that she was resting on him. He winced and jumped the other way a little.

"Sorry, are you okay?" He rubbed his side a little but nodded. He pulled her in for another kiss but she cut it short.

"No, upstairs." She jumped up and grabbed his hand. They ran to the bedroom as well as they could with Clara wearing a wedding dress and both of them losing balance to finish off their wedding day.

**Anddddd there's the wedding chapters! I've decided not to do a honeymoon chapter as I don't really have much inspiration for that so it will be back to another normal chapter next. Ooh and the next one is going to jump forward about one or two years for a bit of a change. Thank you for reading!x**

**Ps the next one may be slightly late as its my first week back at school and I don't know how much time I will have :) **


	21. Chapter 21- Life as a Pink

**Heyyyy, here's the next chapter... It's kinda chilled, well as chilled as Clara and Danny's life can be anyway ;) **

**2 years in the future...**

Life as a Pink

"Mummy, mummy, mummy!" Ellie shook Clara's shoulder until she slowly opened her eyes before sighing and shutting them again. She groaned, realising that she had a banging headache again. "MUMMY!" She yanked the bed cover off of her and Danny which then woke him up with a start. Clara sat up a little bit and rubbed her eyes.

"Yes darling?" Ellie jumped up and down whilst grinning excitedly. Clara soon knew what she was going to say next.

"School today! I'm going to school!" She climbed on to the bed in between them both, her pink stripy pyjamas clinging off of her as they were a few sizes too big. The Doctor wasn't very good with sizes but it was the thought that count. He had bought them for her birthday which she was ecstatic about.

"Are you excited?" She nodded her head and began to grin even more so that they could see her little white teeth. Her hands were clenched and being waved around in excitement. Danny and Clara couldn't help laughing, she looked so happy. "We can get your uniform out in a bit!"

"Yayyyyy!" She stood up and started to jump up and down. Danny stuck his arm out to trip her up so she fell on to his chest laughing happily. He brought her into a tickle which sent her off in fits of laughter. Clara watched on in complete happiness.

After they had picked her uniform Ellie insisted that she wanted to get ready all by herself. Clara obviously agreed to this so went to wake up Lily instead. Although she was coming on for three years old now she still slept like a baby. Waking her up was agony. Clara could only wonder what it would be like when she turned into a teenager, leave that one for another day eh. Once she had stopped protesting she finally got up. She crawled along the floor over to where Clara was folding up some of her clothes.

"Morning honey." She stood up, or rather stumbled up and used Clara as a rest, and yawned. "Aww that was a very big yawn for a little girl! Shall we go and get some breakfast?" She nodded so they left the room with her in Clara's arms. Danny was already downstairs with breakfast set out and ready much to Clara's delight.

"Morning monkey!" Lily grinned and leant away from Clara so that she could be picked up by Danny.

"Morning daddy." Her voice was so cute at the moment. She was beginning to talk more but most of it was muttered and couldn't be understood. Some words came out well but most didn't which made them all laugh. Danny began to pour Lily's favourite cereal but was stopped when Ellie came prancing down the stairs.

"Look look!" Clara walked over to straighten things up as her skirt was the wrong way round and her polo shirt was wonky. Danny got his phone out ready for pictures.

"You look amazing!" She grinned and went to get her schoolbag to complete the image.

"I did it all myself!" Her hands were placed behind her back and she was swaying backwards and forwards with pride.

"Good girl! That's really good Ellie!" She walked over to get her breakfast leaving Clara and Danny watching her proudly.

Once they were all dressed and ready to go they left for the car. Danny sat down on the front seat heavily and pulled his tie down from his neck. Wearing a suit for the first time in six weeks wasn't a nice feeling. Clara saw his expression and understood the feeling.

"Hey, it will be fine, there's no getting out of work you know." He laughed before starting up the car.

"True, I suppose we will just have to bare it." He winked at her and they left off the drive. The first stop was Lily's nursery. As they rolled up they heard Lily begin to whine from the back of the car. Quickly clutching her head she got put to grab her. To everyone's surprise Clara took her in reasonably easily, she was slightly resistant as normal but it wasn't a problem. She got back into the car to hear Ellie and Danny laughing hysterically. She frowned.

"Oi you two! What's so funny?" Danny looked back round at Ellie and put his finger in front of his lips to tell her to not say anything. She giggled as Clara looked at her suspiciously. "What? Come on tell me!" Danny shook his heads and they giggled again. Ellie tapped Danny on the shoulder and whispered to him.

"Can I tell her now?" He smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, go for it!" Clara looked round to Ellie.

"Daddy said that you looked like the moody secretary at your school when you took Lily in to nursery." They all laughed, especially Ellie who was giggling hysterically.

"Did he now!?" Clara looked over to Danny. "I'll have to tell him off for that later!" She winked at him and they headed off on to the next part of the journey.

Once they got to the school carpark Ellie had spotted her friends. They parked the car and went to meet the other parents.

"Hello, how are you?" Clara started to talk to Ellie's best friends mum, Claire.

"I'm good thank you, you?" They both looked down at the girls who were playfully chatting and sharing their excitement with each other.

"Well I'm definitely more nervous than they are!" They all laughed. A few seconds later the doors opened for the children to enter. Ellie took her bag off of Danny who had crouched down to her level. He pulled her forwards and kissed her head softly.

"You have an amazing day yeah? And be a good girl!" She nodded and kissed him on the cheek. Clara then hugged her and said her goodbyes before letting her run off with her friend. As they watched her go Danny placed his arm over Clara's shoulder and pulled her close. He looked at her face and could tell that she was nervous.

"She'll be fine you know, she'll love it and will make us so, so proud." She sighed and looked up at him. He kissed her on the head whilst moving a stray piece of hair out of her face.

"I think so... That doesn't stop me worrying about her though." He chuckled a little.

"I know but it gives us a bit of reassurance anyway..." They waited until the doors closed and then headed back to the car. "Come on, let's go and teach some stroppy teenagers eh?" She laughed and they headed to Coal Hill.

Clara didn't say a word for the whole journey which was highly unusual as she was normally quite the chatterbox. Usually Danny would have to tell her to be quiet as she talked so much.

"Are you okay?" She turned her head from the window and smiled at him. A fake smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" He shrugged.

"It's just that you haven't said a word the whole journey and normally I can't stop you from talking?" She sighed and looked at him reassuringly.

"I'm fine honestly! Just tired." She hid the truth from him as it was easier that way. Actually her head was throbbing and her vision kept going a bit blurry but that was only going to worry him. To her disappointment, Danny didn't buy it.

"What? So it's not about Ellie? Because she'll be fine you know."

"No! It's not, I promise." She didn't look at him as he spoke which told him to leave the conversation there. She obviously wasn't in the mood but she definitely had something on her mind.

The sound of school children was not particularly welcome as they got out of the car. They walked to the main doors next to each other as usual but obviously were met with some of their more challenging students on the way who still thought that it was hilarious that two of their teachers were married and had kids together. A few that were huddled round the doors spoke up and laughed.

"Morning Mr Pink... And Mrs Pink." Danny shook his head and smiled at them.

"Morning Jodie, if you would kindly get to form as quickly as you can that would be much appreciated. Thank you." Jodie looked away and shrugged. That wasn't the reaction that she wanted. Nevertheless she started moving in towards the school. Danny signed and looked over to Clara. "Was it just me or did you just feel a huge sense of déjà vu?" She laughed slightly in agreement.

"It's like the Courtney situation all over again."

"God help us all." They laughed and headed into the staff room.

Break couldn't have come around quick enough. The first day back was always the hardest. Clara had a new year seven tutor group so that always proved tough. As much as they listened they were still hard work. Danny had had two year eleven classes in a row which was even worse because they were all stressing after their introduction assembly that started the countdown to their GCSEs. Both of them had had enough already and it was only two hours into the year. As normal Danny headed down to Clara's room where she was sat typing some lesson plans on her computer. He knocked on the door and waited for a reply.

"Hello." He chuckled and walked over to her.

"Wow you sound like how I feel." Now she looked up at him and smiled. She still didn't say anything though. "What you doing there?" He gestured towards her laptop.

"Just some plans for next week."

"We'll do you think you can stop for a bit and come to get a cuppa with me?" She sighed and continued to look at her laptop.

"Sorry I need to get this done." He looked at her with concern. What was wrong with her today? He walked forwards and kissed her head to get her attention. "Danny not now. I'm not in the mood." He stood back, getting the message.

"Come on, what's wrong? Tell me?" Clara stood up and went to the shelf on the other side of the class giving him a stern look on the way. As she walked she felt another shooting pain through her head which added to her frustration.

"Nothing! I'm fine!" He gave her a look, he didn't believe her. "Look, I just need a while to think something through okay." He held his hands up standing up from the desk.

"Okay, I'll see you later then I guess." He left without her saying another word. Once he was out of sight she sat back down and signed. She really needed to talk to him. She couldn't do it on her own.

After two more stressful lessons lunch rolled around which Clara wasn't as excited for as she had expected to be. She got up and started to clear up some of the tables, as usual the year nines had left their papers all over the class. She bent down to pick up a book when another pain seared through her head. Wincing, she got up and leant against the table. Just as she was recovering Danny walked in. The king of bad timing as usual. He noticed her and ran straight over to her side.

"Clara?" She sighed again but didn't say a word. She tried to walk away but he didn't let her. This was getting stupid now. "No, you're going to sit down for a minute and talk to me." She went to protest but he shushed her. "No arguments. Sit. Talk." Clara looked down at her lap where her hands were trembling. She felt so nervous to speak to him but she didn't know why. Usually she could tell him anything but this felt uncertain.

"I think there's something wrong with me..." He looked at her in confusion but then knew she meant it when her eyes started to water. "Over the past few weeks I've been feeling really weird and I don't know what to do." He held her hands to stop them from shaking and looked her in the eyes.

"In what way? What feels different?" With a deep breath she spoke again.

"I keep getting really bad sharp pains in my head and then I go all shaky. It happens about five or so times a day but only lasts about two minutes... I'm scared." He hid his concern and smiled reassuringly instead.

"Hey, it's okay. It's probably nothing, right?" She nodded. "But we can go to the Doctor and see what they say just to check, yeah?"

"Okay, will you come with me?" He laughed a little at how she ever thought that he wouldn't.

"Of course I will! We'll do it together, I promise." He kissed her softly and looked out to the corridor where kids were starting to gather for form time. She smiled gently and walked to the door after him to usher her form inside.

At the end of the day Clara walked to Danny's classroom as she happened to be ready before him for once. She knocked quietly and entered. He looked up in surprise.

"Oh hello! This doesn't normally happen?" She grinned.

"I know, you normally come to me but I was ready so I thought I'd come to see you." She went to sit on the front table but stopped to look at him as she did it. Giggling, he replied.

"And I bet I can tell you the reason why you got ready so quickly." Clara sighed at how obvious she was.

"But it's her first day! I need to ask her how it went and give her a huge hug! Come on, you can't blame me for that!?" Danny sighed in agreement.

"True, I can't wait to see her either. I'm sure she loved every second of it."

They got to her dads noise and were greeted to a very smiley Ellie at the door.

"Hello sweetie! How was your day?" She started jumping up and down with excitement.

"It was soooo fun! We did painting and reading and dancing and we made cookies!" The biggest smile appeared on Danny and Clara's face. The fact that she enjoyed herself gave them one less thing to worry about.

"That sounds amazing El!" Barely stopping for breath she continued to tell them about her day. As they walked into the door Danny picked her up and hugged her tightly as they walked into the living room.

"I made a new friend! She's called Grace and she likes dogs! And there's another girl called Louise and a boy called Ben and a boy called Oliver. They're all in my class!" Clara smiled again and kissed her head before tidying up her hair that had failed to stay in the clips she had put in earlier on in the day.

"Lots of friends then, that's good! Is your teacher nice?" Ellie pulled a strange face which made them all laugh.

"She's okay. She's very bossy and she didn't like painting. But I told her that my mummy and daddy are teachers so she likes me more now." Danny and Clara grinned at each other. At least their job was good for something at the moment.

"Well that's lucky then isn't it!" She nodded and wiped her hair out of the way again.

"But I can't say her name... It's like Mrs Witch or something." Clara laughed.

"I'm pretty sure she's not a witch... It's Mrs Winchester honey."

"Ohhh, that makes more sense now." They all chuckled at her randomness. Danny put her down and suddenly looked round the room.

"Hang on, I'm sure I had two daughters when I last looked?"

"Lily is at her play scheme thing remember?" He nodded.

"Oh yeah I totally didn't forget that, I mean pffffttt, I knew that." Clara laughed and hit his chest. He winked at her and smiled cheekily. He then went to sit down with Ellie giving Clara time to talk to Dave in private.

They walked into the kitchen where they couldn't be heard by Ellie.

"Can I ask you a massive favour?" He looked at her, intrigued.

"Yeah of course, what do you need?"

"Can you have the girls tomorrow after school and give them some dinner?" He shrugged, not really understanding why.

"Yeah, that should be fine. Why? Work stuff?" She hesitated but then decided it was better to tell him the truth now than later.

"No, actually... I've got a doctors appointment which Danny is coming along to." His expression changed from confusion to concern.

"Oh. Are you okay? It's nothing serious right?"

"No, no. Well I hope not. It's just that I've been getting really bad headaches recently, like shooting pains..." Both of their expressions turned down as they thought of the same thing.

"Oh no, it's not like your mum-" She stopped him not wanting to hear the rest of the sentence.

"That's what I need to go and find out but I'm praying that it's not..." There was a moment of silence in which Dave tried to process the information. "Dad I'm so scared, what if it is? What will I do?!" Dave placed his arms on her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

"Look, it will probably be nothing so don't worry yourself too much. But if it is then we will cope with it. We always do, eh?" She smiled weakly at that. "Does Danny know?"

"He knows about the headaches but not what it could be and about mum. I'll tell him soon. I promise." She smiled before speaking again. "Oh but can you tell the girls that it is work stuff? I don't want to worry them." He nodded before hugging her.

"Yeah, of course. Good luck."

"Thank you." She kissed him on the cheek and collected up Ellie's stuff.

The next afternoon Clara had resumed cleaning up her classroom as usual at the end of the school day. She found her self subconsciously taking it easy and going slowly which surprised her. Usually she would go at full pace at things and stop when she felt pain not beforehand. Once again her thoughts were broken through by Danny entering the room.

"Hey, you ready to go?" She nodded unenthusiastically before sighing.

"Not really but it needs to be done." He smiled and watched her gets her stuff together slowly. He could see the worry in her eyes and noticed how her body language was hesitant. There was something more than what she was saying but she was doing a good job at hiding it.

They walked down the corridor and out of the school. It was surprisingly cold for the start of September. As the air hit Clara she shivered slightly. Danny placed his arm around her and held her within his coat as they headed to the car. For the whole journey Clara sat looking out of the window without saying a word. Her leg was jogging up and down constantly to keep her mind at bay. Of course Danny noticed this and had to say something. It was so unlike her to be this nervous.

"Clara... I know that you hate going to the doctors and that you just want to get the all clear but-" He paused to configure the right words. "I can't help but think that there is something else? What's wrong? And I don't mean for you to sugar coat things again, tell me the truth." For a second she didn't say a thing. Eventually she looked round, no longer being able to hide the tears that were falling down her cheeks. Danny looked at her, alarmed, and immediately glanced across the road for a place to pull over. He soon stopped the car and took his seatbelt off to turn to look at her. "What's wrong?" She continued to sob.

"I don't know what to do Danny." He leaned in and took her hands.

"With what? What's wrong Clara?" He was getting really concerned now.

"My mum... She had it... When she was ill and..." She didn't want to finish the sentence.

"Had what?"

"The headaches and shooting pains... Like me." His eyes widened as he clocked on to what she was saying.

"What did she have?" He asked a little too interrogatively.

"It was a rare form of meningitis..." His eyes widened.

"Wait, is that why she-" She nodded her head to stop him from saying the words.

"What if I have it Danny? What if I've got it too? I can't-"

"No, no, no, stop right there. You don't know of it is the same thing yet. It might be nothing, you never know!" She took her heads back and wiped her eyes.

"But it could be!" He looked down at his hands.

"Yeah, you're right. It could be but if it is we will deal with it! We always do." She didn't answer, she just continued to cry as she looked away from him again. He sighed as he realised that she was going to take more persuasion than that. "Look, if you do have what she had then that is the worst case scenario but think about it. Technology has moved on and things have changed..." He paused to think of what else he could say to her, he needed to tread carefully. "What happened to your mum was awful, the worst thing ever. I won't let that happen to you, I promise. What ever it takes, how ever long it takes, it will not happen." She slowly turned round and looked at him sadly.

"Do you really, really promise?" He took her hands again and kissed her on the head.

"Cross my heart, stick a needle in my eye." He placed a lose strand of hair back behind her ear as he spoke. That seemed to comfort her.

"Okay, let's go." After a nod of reassurance they got back on the road.

Thankfully the doctors wasn't busy so they got straight into the room. They walked down the corridor hand in hand stopping just before the door. Danny kissed her head again and smiled.

"You'll be fine. I can feel it... Want me to come in with you?" She looked down and shook her head.

"No you're okay. No offence but it will be easier if you aren't with me."

"Okay, whatever suits you. I'll wait in the reception." They smiled at each other before going their separate ways.

A while later she emerged from the corridor. She paused as she walked round the corner, not sure how to act. Danny immediately stood up when he saw her.

"So?" He tried to stay calm although his heart was pumping furiously inside of him.

"I told her about mum and she said that she doubts that I same thing but I need to take it easy. I've got a prescription too. It's probably stress and tiredness mostly." Putting his hands on her shoulders, he smiled with relief.

"That's good news right?" She nodded gently, not as enthusiastically as expected.

"I don't really know... I mean yeah it is, of course it is, but... I don't really know how to feel. All of that worry has come to nothing." She looked down at their feet like she was ashamed. He put his hand under her chin and lifted up her head.

"That's okay, worrying isn't bad. It's just good that we've got it all sorted now yeah?" She sighed.

"But I just feel so stupid... Getting all upset, making you worry, stressing out my dad. All for nothing."

"Don't you worry about that, you had every right to get uptight. What you went through with your mum is bound to have an effect on you. Honestly, it's fine. I'm glad that you told me and we sorted it together. Don't feel ashamed, you did the right thing." She smiled gently as she looked up at him. Danny kissed her head and took her hand. "Come along, lets go and relief your dad from our darling children." She laughed a little as they headed back out of the door hand in hand...

**Phew that was a roller coaster... Sorry it took me so long to write this, I don't really know why it didn't come together quicker. Thank you for reading, standby for the next chapter hopefully very soon!x**


	22. Chapter 22- Missing

**Hi, here's the next chapter! **

**Specifically for ThatisneverThat, I will put in a disclaimer... This chapter is definitely NOT chilled ;) **

**Enjoyyyy**

Missing

Clara stirred from sleep to see Danny looking down at her. She smiled as she rubbed her eyes to wake herself up. He grinned.

"You look so adorable when you do that." He stared lovingly at her as she laughed a little.

"I'll remember that for when I want something." He laughed and kissed her softly. She kissed him back and it became a lot more passionate than they expected. Not that they complained though. A few minutes later they laid next to each other silently. Clara could feel Danny's heartbeat on her cheek. It was soothing. It almost rocked her back to sleep but of course that didn't happen as a little head began to pop up and down from the side of the bed. Lily walked over to Danny's side of the bed and tugged on his arm. She was barely awake which explained her going to him first instead of her like normal. Danny turned over a little to look at her face.

"You okay sweetie?" She yawned and rubbed her eyes just like her mum had done a few minutes before. She didn't reply, she just leant against Danny's shoulder and dropped back off to sleep. He laughed and picked her up to tuck her into the duvet. How she had got to their room in the first place was a mystery. She wasn't even awake let alone thinking straight.

"She's asleep again." Clara smiled and rested her head back on to his chest again.

"Looks like she's glad of the lie in. The weekend couldn't have come quick enough, it's been a long week..." He sighed.

"It sure has... As much as its nice to have a routine it is much nicer to sleep in." Before Clara could reply Lily started mumbling in her sleep. They both chuckled. She then rolled over and threw her arm over Danny.

"Haha, you're stuck from both sides now!" Clara laughed sarcastically as he moaned.

"Oh god help me!" They both smiled at her laying there, so peaceful. Danny gently stroked her hair out of her face as he nodded. "She's so beautiful." Clara sighed.

"She sure is, she's growing up way to fast."

"At least she's still pretty small." Clara snuggled down into his chest a little further to which he put his arm around her.

"Mmm, not quite small enough... I miss the baby days." He kissed her head.

"Me too." She didn't reply she just thought about his answer. At least she wasn't the only one. Maybe what she was thinking wasn't such a bad idea.

Once everyone had woken up they all went downstairs to start the day. Lily ran around the kitchen in her unicorn onesie that she had gotten for her birthday and Ellie sat eating her cereal at the breakfast bar. Whilst they were both distracted Danny walked over to Clara who was sat on the sofa. He sat down next to her and pulled her close.

"How are you feeling today? Any better?" She kissed him softly.

"Yeah I am actually, I think a good nights sleep helped." He grinned, relieved of the news.

"Good, I'm glad. Have you told your dad about the all clear?"

"Uhuh, I called him yesterday evening when you were putting the girls to bed." Danny nodded and kissed her again.

"I missed you, you know." She looked at him, puzzled.

"What do you mean? I've haven't been away from you?" He chuckled.

"No I mean I missed your bubbly self. I can always tell when something is wrong because you loose some of your... Clara-ness."

"Clara-ness? Is that a new word?"

"It sure is!"

"Well I've definitely got that back anyway so all is good." They both smiled lovingly at each other not noticing that Ellie had come into the room to watch the TV. She walked in and moaned in disgust.

"Ewwww! You're doing that yucky love thing again!" She began to giggle.

"Oi you! You'll understand one day." She shook her head violently.

"Nope nope nope! That's yucky!" Clara smiled at her innocence. If only that would last forever. Danny leant forwards and picked up a magazine which he showed to Ellie.

"Right look!" He placed it in front of his and Clara's faces so that she couldn't see their lips. They kissed each other again making Ellie laugh. "There! You couldn't see it that time!" They all laughed and settled to watch the TV.

"Mummy what are we doing today?" Ellie asked intently.

"I thought maybe we could go into town? Get some shopping?" Ellie's face turned downwards.

"Eww I don't like shopping, it's boring." Clara scoffed.

"Okay, well how about you can go and find your money that grandad gave you the other day and maybe you can spend it on something nice of your own?" She grinned and ran off to get her purse. Danny got up from the kitchen table and walked over to Clara.

"Nice tactic, tell them they can buy things for themselves." She laughed.

"It works every time I promise!"

"Mmm, well I'll have to use that one then won't I!" He smiled and went to put his shoes on.

The shops were surprisingly empty for a Saturday, much to Clara's delight. She hated crowds at the best of times. The strolled down hand in hand watching Ellie and Lily walk together slightly in front. Suddenly Lily decided that she didn't want to walk anymore. She plopped herself down on the floor and folded her arms. Her bottom lip curled and her eyebrows pointed inwards as they all stopped to see what was wrong.

"Ay? What are you doing?" Danny asked her jokingly. He knelt down beside her and flicked her bottom lip gently. Lily pulled her arms up to her chest again and looked at him angrily. They all laughed.

"I don't want to walk anymore. It's too far." Danny sighed.

"We've only been walking for a few minutes!" She sighed and leant her head on his knee.

"My legs are tired! They're only small." Clara laughed at her cheek. That was something she had got from her, regrettably.

"Well would your legs be less tired if they walked whilst holding my hand?" Danny attempted to compromise.

"No, I think I need a carry." He laughed.

"Oh do you now!? What about poor daddy's legs! They are old and tired!" She giggled and did her cheesy grin. He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Okay then, come on! But you've got to be a good girl for the rest of the day, yes?" She nodded convincingly. "Back, front or shoulders?" She jumped up and pointed at the sky.

"Shoulderrrrrs!" They all laughed as Danny lifted her up. Ellie took her place by Clara's side and held her hand tightly.

"Ooh mummy look!" She pointed sharply at the next shop along. Clara sighed at her choice, so predictable. Danny saw it and groaned making them all laugh.

"Ugh Claire's... Way to girly for me!" Lily nodded in agreement. She was definitely the tomboy. Even if she was only 3 and a half. It was easy to tell. Clara looked over to Danny who ushered them to go inside. He then sat down on the nearest bench and took Lily of of his shoulders.

"We can chat out here for a bit eh?" She nodded happily and crawled to sit on his lap.

A few minutes later they were still sat there waiting for Ellie to finish her shopping. Danny sighed.

"Your sister is way to much like your mum you know, it's a little bit scary." Before he could continue speaking an old woman strolled past him. She missed her step and fell down hard. He immediately jumped up to help her. Clara was just coming out of the shop so she did the same. They all took their eyes off Lily for a moment which was their worst mistake...

An ambulance was quickly called less than two minutes later. Danny looked over his shoulder briefly to the bench where he had left Lily. He looked away and then suddenly looked back, what he saw dawning on him. He stood up and scanned the area to find that she was nowhere to be seen. His heart began to pump harder as he walked up the shopping aisles a little more.

"Lily. Lily! LILY!" Clara turned her head, hearing him calling.

"Danny where is she? Where has she gone?!" He walked back over whilst scanning the nearest shops frantically. He put his hands on his head and sighed with distraught.

"She was right there!? I looked away for a minute and she was gone!? Oh my god where... Lily!" The shopping centre was beginning to fill up now and seeing through the people was getting harder and harder. Clara stood up and looked at him sharply.

"What? She could have gone anywhere! Lily! Lily!" They both started to call her name whilst walking around in different directions but she was nowhere to be seen. Clara began to panic. Her eyes were wide with worry as she stood in the middle of a flood of commuting people. Danny ran over pulled her to the side.

"Okay we need to do this logically. Ask people if they've seen her. Stay close but look thoroughly. I'll keep Ellie don't worry." She nodded and headed the opposite way to Danny. She walked up to a group of people and asked desperately.

"Excuse me! Have you seen a little girl about this high." She shows her tiny height with her hand. "Brown hair, little bow? Please?" She begged them to answer her.

"No sorry, we haven't." An overall agreement from the group made Clara's heart drop. She tried to hold back the tears as she realised that she was no closer to finding her daughter. It had already been a while since they last saw her so anything could have happened to her.

It was getting on for 20 minutes later when Danny jogged along hand in hand with Ellie until they reached a couple that he recognised from earlier. They had been sat nearby at the same sort of time as Danny and Lily, they had to be worth a shot.

"Hi, excuse me? Sorry, you were sat over there by the bench a few minutes ago right?" They nodded. "Have you seen my daughter? The smaller one? Brown hair, bow, blue leggings?" He looked at them desperately. The woman immediately answered.

"No, not since we were sat with you. Is she lost!?" Panicking, he answered quickly.

"She ran off and now we can't see her... Please, I need to find my little girl."

"Okay calm down mate, we'll help you. Where was she last?" The man spoke up and began to walk to the bench.

"Here, right here." Danny pointed at the bench whilst scanning the area for Clara. Once he caught sight of her he called her name.

"Clara! Clara!" She ran over to them looking increasingly desperate.

"Have you got her!?"

"No but these kind people have offered to help, they were sat with us just before..." Clara nodded at them briefly before continuing to look around. A tear escaped as she still couldn't see her anywhere. Danny put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "We're going to find her, I promise." The man, Jack, stepped in again.

"So she was sat here?" They nodded. "And you looked away for how long?"

"Two minutes? Maybe less, I don't know."

"Well then she can't have gone too far because she wouldn't walk too far on her own, right? So I say check the nearby shops. It's likely that she's gone into a shop." Danny nodded in agreement. They all split off to look in a shop each.

Clara headed for the shop right ahead of her. She ran in and scanned all of the aisles quickly. The shopkeeper noticed her distress so came to ask her if she was alright.

"Miss, are you okay?" Clara turned round to look at her.

"Have you seen my daughter? She's ran off and I can't find her. She's three so she's small, she has brown hair and is wearing a bow and blue leggings." The shopkeeper racked her brain.

"I don't think I have but I have a suggestion. If you walk out of here and turn left you will eventually get to a little corridor that splits off from the other shops. That's the CCTV room, they should let you in and maybe you'll be able to find her that way?" Clara nodded with relief.

"Thank you, thank you so so much." She began to run off when the shopkeeper called back to her.

"You're welcome, I hope you find her!" Clara smiled and jogged back to Danny.

"Any luck?" They all shook their heads.

"The woman in the shop said that at the end of here is the CCTV room and we can look for her on the screens." Danny's face lit up a little.

"Okay, if you go there with Ellie I'll stay out here with Jack and Emma and keep looking?" Clara nodded.

"I'll call you if there's any news."

After almost sprinting to the end of the shops Clara frantically knocked on the door and waited for a response. Soon a large man opened the door. His bored expression immediately told Clara what he thought of his job. Watching TV screens all day couldn't possibly be entertaining.

"Yes?" He spoke emotionlessly.

"Please can you help me? My daughter has gone missing and I was hoping we could trace where she has gone." He sighed as he considered her request. "Please, please, she's only three. I'm begging you!"

"Okay come on in." She started to explain to him where she was and at what time she went missing. As they were watching the screens back Clara was praying that they would see her. All she wanted was to hold her little girl in her arms, unharmed and safe.

"There! That's us and her." The man zoomed in to her and continued to play footage. She watched it intently hoping that she had just ran off rather than anything else. So many scenarios were floating round her head that it was driving her crazy.

It soon became clear that she had wandered off like toddlers do. It was unfortunate that it had been on a Saturday in the middle of a busy shopping mall. Suddenly the footage ran out and moved on to a different part of the centre.

"Can we get more of that section?" He shook his head.

"There aren't cameras right at that point but there are some a few meters ahead so we can check those. It depends how far she has walked off." Clara nodded. They watched the next videos in search of some bright blue leggings and a brown haired head bobbing up and down. She's was nowhere to be seen until they saw her right in the corner of the picture.

"There, by the Disney shop." She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Can we tell if she stayed in there or not?"

"Yeah but it would be quicker to look in the shop first to check."

"Okay let me ring my husband."

Danny hung up and sprinted down and round the corner to the shop. He pushed past the people and ran into the doorway. He scanned the shop floor but still couldn't see her. It had been over two hours since they last saw her now so Danny was getting more and more desperate. He just wanted to hold his little girl in his arms again. There was nothing he wouldn't do to find her and get her back. His worried expression must have been all to obvious as a member of staff soon came up to him.

"Good afternoon sir, can I help you?"

"Yes, have you seen my daughter? Brown hair, bow, blue leggings, she's only three!? Please, she's gone missing." Suddenly the woman's face turned from a smile to a look of concern.

"Yeah... She was in here earlier looking at the Frozen toys but then she walked off. I don't know why I didn't stop her, she was in the corner of my eye and... I'm sorry but I'm sure she went that way and it wasn't too long ago." Danny rubbed his hands over his face and looked out towards the crowd of people that were walking around. He couldn't bare the thought of her out there on her own for any longer.

"It's fine, okay thank you." He turned and ran in the direction she pointed in. Once he had got out of the crowds the shopping centre opened out onto a huge plaza that housed an indoor market. The stalls were spread out nicely making it easier to see through them. He continued to run up and down the rows until he stopped in the middle. There was a tree surrounded by a marble circle that was made into a seat. It was then that he spotted a very unhappy looking Lily sat slightly under the leaves. He sighed the biggest sigh of relief. She looked around with tears in her eyes but suddenly looked up as Danny ran over to her. He hugged her tightly and had to wipe away a few tears that had escaped from his eyes. Lily whimpered as he held her in his grasp.

"Lily don't ever ever do that again! You scared us all so much!" She cried into his shoulder and dug her head into him. "Why did you run away?" She looked up a little but continued to cry.

"I saw Elsa in the window so I went to see. Then you were gone and I cried." He kissed her head a few times and hugged her tiny body even tighter.

"It's okay, it's okay, just promise me that you won't ever ever do that again, yes?" She nodded as he stood up. As he moved she cried a little more which alarmed him slightly.

"What hurts? Did you fall over?" She nodded again and pointed at her knee. It was then that he saw her bloodstained leggings. It was only on the knee but it looked like much more as it had spread. "Okay, can daddy have a look?" They sat back down so that he could roll her trousers up. She whined when he lifted it over her graze. "Shhh, shhh, good girl! Oh look at that, that just needs one of your Frozen plasters when we get home!" She grinned. He couldn't help hugging her again, she was too precious not to.

He rang Clara quickly and met her outside where they started. He walked along with her in his arms as Clara emerged from the corner. Her hand sprung to her mouth as she looked at them with relief.

"Oh my gosh Lily. Lily!" A tear fell down her cheek as she hugged her tightly. "Are you okay!?" She nodded.

"She's okay, just a graze on her knee and some lovely bloodstained leggings for you." She grinned weakly. She couldn't think of a thing to say. She was just so glad that she had her daughter back.

When they got home Lily dropped off to sleep pretty quickly, it wasn't surprising that she was exhausted. Ellie went off upstairs to do play with her toys leaving Danny and Clara to get dinner ready. Neither of them spoke, they just did what needed to be done. They were both in shock really, part of them felt like they had failed Lily but part of them was just grateful that nothing had happened to her. Dinner came and went leaving TV time and bed.

As mean at it sounded Danny and Clara were quite glad of bedtime. It had been a stressful day and all they wanted was a glass of wine and a movie. Clara came down from putting Lily to bed to see Danny sat down ready for her.

"Did she take a bit of calming down?" Clara nodded and plonked herself down on the sofa.

"Yeah, she didn't really want me to leave her. But she's asleep now." He didn't respond, he looked away from her so that she couldn't see his expression. "Danny?"

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." As soon as he said that she knew what he was sorry for. She wasn't surprised that he had said it either, it was to be expected.

"It's not your fault Danny." Now he turned to face her.

"But it is, I was the one who took my eye off her."

"Yeah but for a good reason! That woman really needed your help. And be honest, I wasn't exactly watching her either so it wasn't just you." He sighed.

"You weren't supposed to be watching her though, I was." She put her hand on his cheek.

"Look, it's happened now and we can't change it. She's home and safe. That's all we need to think about." He smiled a little.

"When I saw her sat by the tree where I found her she looked so small and fragile. I went over and I couldn't help but hug her. I was just so glad that nothing happened to her."

"And nothing did so stop blaming yourself Mister." She poked his chest playfully. "You were great, so good at helping to find her. Without you things would have been so different." He smiled gently.

"Do you think so?" She grinned and kissed his head.

"Yes I do, I really do." They kissed and then relaxed back into the movie.

A while later Clara paused it, turned to face Danny and curled her legs up beneath her. He looked at her, confused.

"I've been thinking." He rolled his eyes.

"Oh lord help me." He said sarcastically. She laughed and hit his chest.

"No, no, seriously. We keep saying that the girls are growing up to fast and that we miss the baby days. They're practically young girls now, well Ellie is anyway. And Lily is growing up so fast now. They're not tiny anymore and I don't think I'm ready for that." He nodded in agreement.

"Okay, where is this going?" She took a deep breath and spoke again.

"I think we should have another baby Danny... I'd like to have another baby." He looked at her, speechless. After the shock he smiled.

"Okay."

"What? Just okay?" He nodded. "Is that a yes then?" He smiled and kissed her.

"Yes. Let's do it." She kissed him back but then stopped him from continuing.

"You were thinking the same thing weren't you?" He smiled and took her hand.

"Surprisingly, I was. It was something that I was going to talk to you about. I'd love to have another child, I think it would be really complete our little family."

"Yeah, I think it would." They looked into each other's eyes before kissing again, but more passionately this time...

**Ooh, a baby! Thank you so much for reading! It means so much to me that you actually give up your time to read this, I just hope that you enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it :) x**


	23. Chapter 23- Babies and Timelords

**Hey again! This chapter took a bit of an unexpected turn... But oh well! Unexpected is good right? ;) x**

Babies and Timelords

Danny woke up to the sound of Clara throwing up in the toilet. Although still half asleep he jumped up and ran to her side. He held her hair out of the way and stroked her back soothingly. Eventually she sat down on the floor and leant her head on his shoulder.

"Morning." She said weakly. He chuckled slightly and kissed her head.

"Morning to you too, how are you feeling?" She sighed.

"A bit better now but not too great. I'll be better once I get going."

"Morning sickness? For definite now?" She nodded.

"It must be, I've been like this for a week... I'll drop by the chemists on the way home from work and get a test." They both grinned before linking hands. A wave of excitement suddenly flew over Clara's body. She had never wanted anything more than this baby. She didn't really know why she wanted it so much, it just felt right. It would complete their family and their lives.

Danny got up and dressed before Clara to help get the girls ready for school and nursery. When she eventually got herself ready and downstairs they were already sat having breakfast, dressed and ready to go. She watched them giggling and laughing amongst themselves for a second before going to join them. Ellie was the first to look up.

"Mummy!" Clara smiled weakly at her before heading to the sink for a glass of water. "Mummy? Are you okay?" She turned slowly to face them all but she felt too queasy to pretend to be okay.

"Um, mummy's okay, she's just feeling a bit sick that's all. Don't worry. Come on, eat up." He smiled and pointed to her bowl of cereal. She grinned obliviously before continuing to eat. Danny turned and faced Clara. She looked extremely pale and clearly wasn't herself.

"Are you okay?" She held her finger up at him to tell him to wait for answer. She then put the glass down and legged it to the bathroom. Danny sighed.

"Stay there girls." They nodded and watch him run off after her.

A few moments later they emerged back into the kitchen. Clara was walking cautiously with Danny by her side. She sat down and smiled at Ellie and Lily who were watching her intently.

"Sorry, mummy's just a bit ill, it will be okay soon!" She smiled to reassure them. "Why don't you go and get your shoes on ready to go and then we can make a move." They nodded and ran off to the cupboard in the hallway. Danny moved to Clara's side and sat down.

"No, no, no, you're not going in today. You're not well enough." She sighed and rubbed her fore finger on the side of her head.

"I need to, I have some important lessons today... And anyway I feel a bit better now." He frowned.

"Can't you get covers? Surely you can miss one day?" She shook her head.

"No need. I'll be fine, I promise. You can even come and check on me in between every lesson." Danny sighed and stood up.

"Okay, but if you feel ill again you're coming home, no arguments." She nodded and grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl.

"Come on, we'll be late." She walked off to the other room and Danny eventually followed.

The year 11's began to stream in for Clara's first lesson of the day. She wasn't going to lie, but the nausea had come back. It wasn't as bad but it was still there. She dismissed it and got on with her teaching nevertheless. After explaining the lesson to the class she sat down and sighed. She grabbed her bottle of water and placed it on her head to cool her down. It must have been obvious that she wasn't too well as the class had quietened down and turned their attention to her. One girl, Ruby, got nudged by a few of her classmates so she slowly got up and walked to the front.

"Umm, are you okay miss?" Clara looked up slowly and sat forwards.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired that's all." Ruby frowned.

"Are you sure? Because you look pretty pale?" Clara stood up and leant on the desk. Suddenly she felt an overwhelming feeling of sickness.

"I'll be right back." She dropped her water bottle and speed walked out of the room. It soon became obvious to Ruby where she had ran off to.

"Go and get Mr Pink!" One of the kids said. She nodded and ran down the corridor.

She knocked on the door but there was no response so she looked through the glass. Danny was in the middle of an explanation so had motioned for her to wait until he had finished. She knocked again but didn't wait this time. She barged into the room and began to speak. Before she could get her message across Danny had interrupted her.

"Excuse me Ruby, I had told you to wait!?" She nodded.

"I know you did and I heard you but you have to come quickly. I don't think Mrs Pink is very well, she ran out of the classroom and hasn't come back yet." Danny's expression changed to concern.

"Which way did she run?!" Ruby pointed in the direction of the staff toilets. He sighed and looked to his class, having to improvise.

"Okay, can you open your text books to page... 37 and do the exercises. And don't think you can get away with not doing it as I will be marking books and issuing detentions for anyone that doesn't, after school ones for that matter." They all looked down and got on with the work as Danny and Ruby left the room.

They got to Clara's room and there was chaos. They seemed to think that having a paper fight was appropriate as there was no one to stop them. Danny walked in and they immediately went quiet. He smiled a little, there was something quite liberating about having power. He managed to hide his expression though as they all looked pretty scared.

"Right you lot! Sit down and do the work you've been set! Just because your teacher has gone outside for a few minutes that does not give you the permission to stop working and ruin the classroom! I'll be back soon to check that you have stayed on task." They all sat down respectively and picked up their pens. Danny smiled at Ruby and left the room.

As he got to the bathrooms Clara was just walking out. She looked very peaky and a bit under the weather.

"Clara are you okay?!" She nodded and immediately slid her arms around him and brought him into a hug. Danny stroked her head softly. "Were you sick again?" She nodded again to which he sighed. "Come and sit down." He lead her to the chairs nearby and let her rest on him. "I think we should get you home, you're nowhere near well enough to be in today." To his surprise she agreed straight away. That was a sign that she really did feel ill, it was unlike Clara not to protest. They got up and walked slowly down the corridor when Clara spoke for the first time in a while.

"Wait, what about my class?"

"Don't worry about that, I'll clear it with Adrian. And I only have one more lesson today so I'll get that covered." She smiled.

"You don't have to do that, you can stay here if you like?" He scoffed.

"What? And leave you all on your own, ill? No way!" He kissed her head and they continued down the corridor to get their stuff from the staff room.

On the way back Danny ran into the chemists down the road and grabbed a few pregnancy tests. Clara wasn't really feeling up to finding out but they needed to know. If she was pregnant then it would explain the morning sickness. But if she wasn't them something else was definitely wrong. When he got back into the car he passed the bag through to Clara. She looked inside and laughed a little.

"Why did you get like five different brands!?" He shrugged.

"Well I don't know what make is good so I thought I'd get one of each. Best to be on the safe side eh?" She laughed.

"Okay then, what ever you say. Ooh what's this?" She rummaged in the bag a little further.

"Just a little treat for you as you're feeling under the weather." She pulled out her favourite chocolate bar and grinned at him.

"Chocolate. Better than any medicine." She winked at him. "Thank you." He smiled and started the engine.

As soon as they got home she emptied the tests out on the table to scan the labels and the company names. Soon she grabbed the most reliable looking one and gave Danny a worried smile. He slipped his hands around her waist and kissed her head.

"We'll be fine, whatever the outcome... I'll be right here waiting." She turned and left leaving Danny to wait in the wings.

She emerged again and placed down the test.

"Three minutes." She looked at him for support. He grabbed her hand and smiled. "Why am I so nervous? I've done this twice before..." He laughed.

"I think it's one of those things that never gets easier. You're bound to be nervous, it's huge deal." She nodded at that. He was right, it was normal to be scared.

"Three minutes is up... You look, I can't." She giggled a but as he picked it up and tired to work out where it told them. Once he had read it he smiled widely.

"Looks like we're going to have child number three then!" She gasped.

"Oh my gosh! Really?!" He nodded and showed her the results. He hugged her tightly as she giggled happily. They ended up just sat in complete awe. Neither of them had anything to really say, they didn't want to spoil the moment of elation.

After a while Clara turned to face Danny.

"You know, I feel better now. I could have stayed at work." He took her hand.

"But then we wouldn't have found out that you were pregnant would we." She laughed.

"Oh yeah, I forgot that bit." He shook his head at her.

"What am I going to do with you eh?"

"Kiss me?"

"Okay, I'll force myself." They laughed playfully as their noses touched. He grabbed her round the waist and pulled her towards him. She draped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. Suddenly a loud whirring noise stopped them in their tracks. Clara's head shot round. She looked over to the TARDIS that had appeared in their living room and sighed. Danny rolled his eyes gently, he always did like to make an entrance didn't he?

The Doctor poked his head out of the door and beckoned them to come inside. Clara stood up and marched into the doors followed by Danny.

"Umm, what happened to the 'warn me when you're coming' rule?" He shrugged.

"Oh I seem to have deleted that one. Sorry about that. I didn't disturb anything did I?" He walked round the other side of the console. Clara looked over to Danny and rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"No, of course not. Nothing at all." Danny laughed a little as he looked at them obliviously.

"Okay good because I need you both." Clara looked at him in confusion.

"To do what?" He ignored her and ran down to the bottom level. She walked down the stairs after him to see what he was doing. "Doctor?" He bent down to a cupboard to the side of where he was stood and started chucking things backwards from it, a few of them narrowly missing Clara.

"I'm looking forrrr... Ugh it's not here! Where are you?!"

"Doctor!? What are you looking for!?" Now he turned round and looked at her, finally listening to what she was saying.

"I need, I need." He started to pace backwards and forwards until he stopped and saw what he was looking for. "I need this!" He picked up what looked like a whisk attached to part of a boiler. He started to wind it up as he ran back up the stairs.

"Doctor!" He suddenly sensed the frustration in her voice so started to answer her.

"I need you, Danny, to wind this up. Nice and fast, if you don't mind." He shrugged and walked over to grab it. "And then I need to connect it to this." He spoke as he acted, connecting wires up to the end of the whisk and pacing back round to Clara again. "And finally I need you Clara to stand right here." He pointed to an exact spot to the left of him and grinned.

"Why? What's going on?" He momentarily ignored her and looked over to Danny.

"Come on PE! Use those army muscles! We're trying to power a vortex scanner not a pocket torch!" He tutted and got to work. "Stay still Clara, this won't take a second. I just need to scan you-" She jumped in.

"Scan me!? Why?"

"Don't worry, you'll find out." She tried to get away but he had already started to press buttons on the screen.

"Doctor wait! There's something that-" He looked up at her with surprise. "-you need to know first..." He walked over to her as he tried to configure what he had just found out.

"You've got another person inside of you? Too many cells. That's weird." She sighed.

"Yeah... I'm pregnant."

"But how come you don't look huge like you did before?" She looked over to Danny for moral support.

"Because I haven't been pregnant for long, the baby is still really small." The Doctor walked back over to the scanner expressionless.

"Ahh okay." She frowned at his reaction.

"Doctor? You're okay with that right? What's wrong?" He looked at her with a worried expression.

"Yeah it's fine, well not fine but we'll deal with it."

"What do you mean 'not fine'?" He tried to hide his expression by looking away from her but it didn't work very well.

"Well I just scanned you and uploaded a few of your cells to the TARDIS interface which normally goes smoothly but... The people I have done it on before haven't been pregnant." She continued to look at him with a confused expression.

"What are you saying?"

"I don't know if it will effect you or the baby... It might not but it might do." She put her hand on her head and sighed.

"What!?" Danny piped up with outrage. "What could happen to her!?" He shrugged.

"I'm not sure, it's never happened before. But maybe, ooh!" An idea sprung to his head. "Maybe some time energy will diffuse? Ooh that's exciting!" Clara looked up, alarmed.

"No, no that's not exciting Doctor! Our child could have time energy inside them!" Danny paced backwards and forwards to stop him from having a go at the Doctor.

"Yeah, maybe. That's never happened before!"

"Doctor, that can't happen!" He looked alarmed.

"Why not? What's the problem?" Danny raised his arms in the air with frustration.

"What's the problem!? What do you think it is!? Our child could be part timelord! That's not exactly socially acceptable is it!?" The Doctor violently pushed some buttons on the console before shouting back.

"Well I'm sorry, but no one told me that there was a baby!"

"Clara was trying to tell you when you started to-" Clara moved in between them with frustration.

"WILL YOU BOTH SHUT UP!" They both stopped and looked at her, slightly stunned. "Thank you. Now please stop arguing with each other because it's not helping anything." She walked away from the console followed by Danny.

"What are we going to do?" She crossed her arms and looked up to him.

"I honestly don't know." He sighed.

"We can let him get away with this though." Clara tutted.

"It wasn't his fault though, I mean yeah he didn't listen to me but he had no reason to know anything. So please, go easy on him?" Danny went to protest but she shushed him by a finger to the lips. "For me? Please?" After hesitating he nodded. Clara smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you. We will sort this, I promise. Me and the baby will be fine." He smiled slightly before watching her walk back over to the Doctor.

The Doctor was stood staring at the screen with a puzzled expression. Clara stood next to him and he didn't even look over, he just stared the other way.

"Doctor?" Now he looked round, but only briefly.

"Hello."

"Right, talk to me please. As you may have guessed, I have some questions for you." He nodded.

"If you must." She followed him around the TARDIS as he went about tidying up his mess.

"Will the baby actually be half timelord?" He shrugged and she looked at him in disgust.

"Dunno." She grabbed his arm to stop him from walking any further and made him look at her in the eyes.

"Doctor!? This is my unborn child you are talking about! You can't even be bothered to tell me what will happen or what you've done to it! You've put me and the baby in danger and you don't even seem to care! What has happened to you?" He looked at her emotionlessly. After a pause she turned and marched out of the TARDIS. As she went past she ushered Danny to come with her. After a slam of the door the Doctor sat down and sighed. How could he resolve this one?

She stormed out and sat down violently on the sofa. Danny jogged over to sit next to her. Her arms were crossed and her eyes were fixed on the wall opposite to them. He knew she was really angry, furious even.

"Are you okay?" Hearing his voice immediately seemed calmed her and she knew that she could tell him how she was feeling.

"No, not really." Her body language soon became less angry and more upset. She rested her head on his shoulder before hugging him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her and held her. They stayed like that for a good ten minutes, neither of them knowing what to say.

"Why did that have to happen? Why us? Why does it always go wrong for us?" Clara spoke downwards, not wanting to un-bury her head from Danny's chest. "The car crash followed by all of the army stuff and now this. Why aren't we normal?" He sighed. He knew what he wanted to say but he couldn't say it, not right now.

"We are normal, well as normal as anyone is anyway. Things like the car crash were accidents, things that could have happened to anyone. I know that this is far from normal but we'll deal with it like we always do." He caressed her head softly which relaxed her from her rage.

"I suppose so, but what if we have a... A 'timechild'?" Danny giggled a bit but then saw Clara's deadly serious expression.

"Sorry, it's not funny. But I don't even know, what even is a timechild?"

"I haven't the faintest idea, the name just came into my head." After a pause Danny spoke again.

"Give it another hour or so so that you can both calm down and then ring him. Ask him about it and then we'll be able to think about it more. We know nothing right now so asking him has got to be the best option." She nodded and sat up next to him.

"But I can't help but think that he doesn't care, like you saw him back then. He was more focused on his own to-do-list than our baby. That's so not like him."

"I'm sure he does care, maybe he just didn't know what to say. He's not the best at talking. Like I said, ring him and try to get through to him."

Just as they were about to get up the TARDIS appeared back in their living room. Clara rolled her eyes and didn't bother to stand up. Hesitant, the Doctor strolled out of the door again. He stood awkwardly by the sofa waiting for them to say something first. Danny rubbed his forehead before looking to Clara.

"Sit down." She addressed him sternly. It was the only way to show that she meant business. He immediately shuffled round the corner to sit. Clara didn't say anything for a few moments as she didn't really know how to start. The Doctor awkwardly spoke to break the silence.

"I wasn't saying that I didn't care earlier... I do, really I do." She looked across to him.

"What were you saying then?"

"The truth? Well I was about to anyway." She gave him a puzzled expression.

"Which is?"

"I don't actually know how to answer your questions as I don't know what's going to happen... This has never occurred before and I can only guess what will happen in the time to come." Danny leant forwards to lean his elbows on his knees. He then put his head in his hands.

"Oh great." He sighed.

"But I can make a good guess." Clara attempted to keep her frustration in check as the Doctor's answers got more and more vague.

"Go on then, what will happen?" He sat back and clenched his fists together on his lap.

"Well you won't get a part-timelord child, if that's any consolation."

"That is kind of a relief." Danny answered sarcastically.

"There wasn't enough time energy passed across in the time for that to happen. The scammer would had to have been on for longer and at a higher intensity to pass on that much."

"So how much will it actually have? Will it make a difference to it?" He paused to think.

"Probably not, it might cure some colds and heal some cuts quite quickly but nothing too weird." Clara sighed a sigh of relief.

"So it won't, like, regenerate or anything? Or grow body parts or?" The Doctor laughed at Danny's questions. Oh he had so much to learn.

"No, no, no. Don't worry, it'll be fine." Clara sat forwards.

"What about me? Will it make me ill?"

"It might make you a sick every so often. Your body isn't used to the time energy so you'll probably be a bit unsettled. But there's no guarantee... I mean, I hope I'm right but as I said, I don't actually know." Clara and Danny looked at each other and smiled slightly. They were too stunned to say anything.

"Okay then." The Doctor smiled and stood up slowly.

"I'll get going then, ring me if you need me." Without looking back he walked back inside the TARDIS and took off swiftly. Clara scoffed.

"He can't just leave like that!? What are we meant to do now!?" Danny sat back and sighed.

"What is wrong with him? Does he not understand human life at all!?"

"Nope, that's the problem." She sighed and leant her head on his shoulder again. He relaxed his arm around her.

"Well at least we know that things will be okay, it seems like you and the baby will be fine." She nodded.

"True, that's the main thing. And as for the Doctor... I don't even know what's got into him, he's never like this. I've known him for so long now and he's always been one of the most caring people I know. He has a funny way of showing it but he does care." Danny sighed.

"Maybe he's moved on? I don't mean that in a horrible way but he doesn't come across as the sentimental type and you haven't been together like you used to be for a long time. Maybe he's changing the way he works." She stopped to think about what Danny had said. It made sense but she didn't want it to. She wasn't ready to give the Doctor up, no matter how difficult it would be. She just couldn't do it.

"I suppose so, but I'd like to think that he wouldn't just leave me like that. We mean more to each other than that." She spoke as though she was reassuring herself, like she was blocking out what she didn't want to happen. It sounded believable enough as Danny had agreed but she wasn't convinced. The impossible girl and the Doctor era couldn't end yet. Or could it?

**Bit of tension... Thank you for readingggggg x**


	24. Chapter 24- The Big Reveal

**Hola! A lot of Pink family cuteness in this chapter, enjoyyyy! **

The Big Reveal

Danny sat downstairs on the sofa with Lily laying over his leg and Ellie resting her head on his shoulder. They all sat close, fixed to the TV. Clara came into the room slowly. Her head was spinning and the nausea just kept coming back. She stumbled slightly as she reached for the arm of the other sofa making Danny jump up.

"I'm okay, I'm okay." He walked over to her anyway and took her weight. She flopped down on the seat and laid her head down. Danny crouched in front of her and smiled. He moved her hair out of the way so that she could lay peacefully.

"Not feeling much better then?" She shook her head.

"Not really... I think it's just going to be one of those days." He smiled sympathetically.

"Yeah, well do you want anything? Blanket, food, tea?" She shook her head and smiled.

"No, I'm okay. But I do need one thing..." He looked up at her again.

"And what would that be?"

"A big cuddle from you three." Danny grinned widely and turned round to usher the girls over. Lily clambered on to the front of the sofa and took her place cuddled up under Clara's arm. Danny sat down so that Clara could rest her legs on him and Ellie climbed over to cuddle her from the back.

Once they had settled down Ellie kissed Clara on the cheek and cuddled her tightly. Clara turned over a little to see her face. She looked sad, like there was something on her mind.

"What's wrong sweetie?" Danny turned round at the question and leaned in to stroke Ellie's head.

"Are you okay mummy?" They looked at each other discretely so that Ellie couldn't tell that they were lying.

"I'm okay, I've just been a little bit ill lately. It will be okay soon, I promise." She looked up to see if Ellie's expression had changed. It hadn't, she still looked just as upset. "Look honey, I'll be fine! Don't worry about me, mummy's okay. I promise. And anyway it doesn't matter if I'm a little bit ill, as long as we're all together we'll be fine. You know that don't you?" She nodded. "Good girl, so don't be sad, it will be okay." She sat up a little bit and smiled gently.

"You absolutely promise?" Clara smiled again.

"Yes, I double promise!" Ellie laughed.

"You can't have double promises mummy!"

"Why not!?"

"Because they don't exist silly!" Clara laughed.

"Oh well they do now! I just made them exist!" They all giggled and settled back down to watch the movie. Soon enough Lily had fallen back to sleep meaning that Clara couldn't move away, not that she minded though. She was surrounded by the people she loved most in the world, what more could she want?

Later on they all got dressed and got ready to go out. It was their first scan at the hospital so Dave was having Ellie and Lily for the afternoon. As they were about to leave Ellie sighed and sat down at the kitchen table. Clara walked over and sat down in front of her.

"What's wrong honey? You've been a bit sad today." She nodded and looked down at the floor. Clara stroked her hair out of her face making her look up a little.

"Do I have to go to grandad's?" Clara frowned, it was unlike Ellie to not want to see Dave. They always got on so well.

"Why don't you want to go grandad's house? You like being with him don't you?" She nodded gently.

"Yeah but I want to be with you for a bit." Now Clara sighed. She had wondered when this would come up.

"Honey, you can spend time with me a bit later on but me and daddy need to go somewhere today okay? You'll have fun at grandad's with Lily won't you!" Ellie sighed again and wriggled on her chair.

"Where do you have to go?" Clara paused for a second to think. Ellie was good at spotting her when she was lying so it had to be plausible.

"I can't tell you right now sweetie but it's something good so don't worry. If it goes okay me and daddy will tell you later..." She wasn't convinced so Clara quickly came up with a plan. "Can you keep a secret? Just between me and you?" Ellie looked up and nodded. A smile had grown on her face.

"Yeah! What is it!?" Clara leant in and Ellie did the same.

"We're going out to find something out. It's a big big secret that you're going to love. I'll give you a clue. It involves you being a very big, brave girl, which I know you are very good at being." Ellie sat and thought for a little bit.

"Okay. But can you tell me later?" Clara nodded.

"Yes, we'll tell you later." Clara moved her chair back to stand up but Ellie stopped her.

"One more thing mummy... Soon, a little bit later, can I have a cuddle? And we can watch that TV programme you like and eat sweets like we did last time. We haven't done that in while." She looked up at Clara with big, wide eyes. Clara tried to hide her feelings. It broke her heart that Ellie missed spending time with her. She knew that she had been a bit distant lately and hadn't had as much time for the girls but she hadn't realised how much it had actually affected them. She suddenly felt really bad, she needed to make it up somehow.

"Of course we can! And maybe we can even have some of that special hot chocolate that you like." Ellie's eyes widened again.

"Really!?" Clara nodded.

"Yeah! It will be fun!" She paused and took Ellie's hand. "Look, I'm sorry I haven't spent as much time with you as I should have lately. Mummy's been ill and has had lots of work to do. That's not an excuse and I should have put you first. I'm very, very sorry, I'll make it up to you. I promise." Now Ellie smiled. Not just any smile, her real smile. The one that Clara loved to see.

"That's okay mummy. I love you." She jumped forwards and hugged Clara tightly.

"I love you too, to the moon and back."

"And further?!" Clara laughed.

"And further and further and further!" Ellie moved back again and smiled. "Come on then, get your shoes on." She nodded and ran off leaving Clara to watch her go. She was such a brave girl , Clara felt so lucky to have her. She was truly amazing.

After dropping the girls off at Dave's house they got back in the car and headed for the hospital, a route that they knew all too well by now.

"What was that all about with Ellie before we left?" Danny asked. Every so often he took his eyes off the road to look at Clara.

"She was upset because she didn't want to go my dads house..." She paused for a second, not wanting to tell Danny what she had told Ellie. They had agreed to tell both of the girls later but Clara had already given her a clue or two, something she probably shouldn't have done. "She wanted to stay at home with us because she misses me. She said that she hadn't spent enough time with me lately..." Clara stopped and looked out of the window. She put her hand on her head to hide her expression slightly. Of course Danny noticed and knew that she was upset.

"Hey, these last few months have been pretty bumpy, especially the last few weeks. But that's not your fault. Ellie knows that, she knows that you love her." Clara sighed and looked round to see his face.

"I know but I still should have been there for her. I shouldn't have put other things on top, I don't blame her for feeling pushed out."

"Maybe, but you can't really say that what you have been thinking about isn't important. You've had so much work on with the year 11's etc, you've been really ill and you're pregnant..." She looked round at that.

"That's still no excuse though, I should have put the kids I've got now before this one." She pointed at her stomach.

"Look, these last few weeks you've been so ill you couldn't even walk straight let alone do things with the girls. Sometimes it happens, life happens. But you've got to look at it from a different perspective. You're a great mum and you know that. So don't go beating yourself up about it, as I know you already are." She smiled gently at him.

"How did you know?" He grinned.

"I always know." She smiled back, thinking about what Danny had said. By the look on her face he knew that he had got through to her.

They checked in at the hospital and sat down to wait. Clara sat forwards and twiddled her thumbs whilst Danny bumped his leg up and down. They were both so nervous, and rightly so. They didn't want any suspicion placed upon them.

"What if they like... Notice something weird? What if they can tell the baby isn't quite normal?" Clara shook her head not knowing how to answer his questions.

"I have no idea... I'm just praying that they can't tell. Anyway the Doctor said that the baby won't really be effected that much right? So it will be okay, surely?" Danny sat forwards and put his arm around her. She sat back with him and leant into his chest.

"I hope so, but if it does then what can we say? We can't just pretend it's normal?"

"I think we should cross that hurdle when we get to it. We'll think of something." He tutted.

"I'm glad one of us is relaxed." She laughed.

"Oh I'm hardly relaxed, believe me." Just as he was about to make a comment back they were called through. Clara took a deep breath and stood up. She held out her hand for Danny to take and they walked in together.

As they went into the small room they were greeted by a short, plump woman.

"Hello, I'm Martha, I'll be doing your scan today. Your normal midwife is off ill today so I'm just covering for her. Would you like to come through?" They both nodded and Clara walked to lay down on the bed. She gave Danny one more reassuring look before letting the nurse get on with what needed doing.

Soon enough a little shape showed on the screen. Clara took Danny's hand and smiled. He looked at the screen intently waiting for the verdict.

"Everything looks good to me, the baby's development is up to date and there's no problems." Both Danny and Clara sighed in relief. "Would you like to know the gender?" Clara looked round at Danny. This was something that they hadn't got round to talking about yet. Eventually she shrugged.

"Umm, your choice." Danny looked back at her.

"Are you sure?" She nodded. "Okay then... No, lets keep it a surprise." Clara grinned in agreement.

"Okay that's fine, I'll just send off the pictures and you can collect some printed ones from reception. Your midwife will call you soon to arrange the next scan." Clara smiled as she got up from the bed.

"Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, congratulations." They both smiled again before Martha left the room.

They got back to the car and relaxed for the first time in hours. After getting their breath back they looked at each other and grinned. Clara took the scan out of her pocket and looked down at it. Danny leant over towards her and put his arm around her. She kissed his cheek and giggled. He paused for a second and then lifted her head upwards with his hand. He kissed her lips softly before she put her hand on his face and kissed him back.

"What do you think then?" Danny asked her, slightly out of breath.

"About what?" She replied and leant her head on his shoulder.

"Do you think it's a boy or a girl?" She laughed.

"How am I meant to tell from that!? Not being mean but it's barely a blob yet." He shrugged and laughed at her remark.

"I don't know but you've got to guess, remember. It's our bet we have. We did it with the other two so let's keep the tradition going." She nodded and sat back to think.

"Okay then, I'm going to say... Girl."

"Alright, then I say boy. Just to make me less outnumbered." They both laughed and spent the next half an hour chatting just like old times.

Ellie had clearly noticed the change in mood amongst them in the car on the way home. Danny and Clara had gone back to singing along to the radio making Ellie and Lily laugh, just like they used to. When they got in the door Danny walked off to get Lily out of the car allowing Ellie to pull Clara to the side.

"Mummy can you tell us now?" Clara beamed down at her and stroked her hair

"Yes we can indeed!" A huge grin appeared on her face as she hugged Clara tightly round the waist. They both laughed happily.

"Girls, come into the living room for a second." Clara called through to Ellie who was in her bedroom and Lily who was drawing a picture at the dining room table. They both came running in, Ellie slightly faster as she knew that what was coming was exciting. Clara and Danny knelt down in front of them, looking at each other for reassurance just before speaking.

"Okay so you know how things have been a bit weird lately?" Ellie nodded but Lily continued to look around the room not quite understanding what was going on. "Well me and daddy can tell you why now. It was a secret but it doesn't need to be anymore. So... Mummy is going to have another baby." Ellie's mouth opened wide. She couldn't contain her excitement.

"So I'm going to be an even bigger sister!?" Clara laughed and nodded.

"Yeah! Does that sound good!?" She nodded frantically and clapped her hands. Lily looked at Clara with a confused expression.

"Another baby? Like me?" Danny moved up on to the sofa and lifted her on to his knee. He then spoke to her to explain it all.

"Yeah but it will be smaller than you, like when you were younger."

"When do we get the baby? Is baby here now!?" She started to look around the room until Clara stopped her, chuckling as she did so.

"No, no, no, we have to wait a while before it comes. But it is sort of here now because it's in mummy's tummy." She stood up to sit down next to Clara. She then pointed at Clara's stomach.

"It's in there?!"

"Yeah, but it's still really, really small so it has to grow before we can see it." She smiled and leant forwards to place her hand on her.

"Does it move around?" Clara nodded.

"It will do but not yet, it's still too small." Now Lily smiled widely.

"Do you think it's a good idea then!?" She nodded.

"Yes! I can be a big sister too! There will be another little Lily!" They all smiled.

"But it might not be a girl, it could be a boy. We won't know until it's born. It's a surprise!" Lily looked up suddenly.

"Eww not a boy! It has to be a girl." Danny laughed and grabbed her from the floor playfully.

"Ay! What's wrong with boys!?"

"They smell funny!" Danny rolled her around in his arms and tickled her causing a fit of laughter.

"What was that you said about boys!?" She continued to laugh but started to kick her legs.

"They smell nice daddy! Like roses!" He laughed and put her down.

"I thought so!" She smiled and turned to face Clara. She waved her hand in front of her nose to indicate the opposite of what Danny had said. Danny picked her up again and kissed her head.

"What am I going to do with you eh?" They all joined in with the tickling and laughing. Clara sat back after a few minutes and sighed. She was so glad that they were happy about the new baby. She finally felt a bit more relaxed about the months ahead.

Two months later

Clara was quite clearly pregnant now. Although she was only around four months gone her usually slim figure made it look like longer. Suspicions had begun to arise at school which was not very welcome. She hated being put on the spot but she didn't want the whole school spreading rumours. All of the students still seemed to find it hilarious that two of their teachers had a family together. Another baby was sure to stir it up again.

"Morning." Clara said as she emerged from the staircase to see Danny already making breakfast.

"Morning honey, you okay?" Clara smiled at him in his little apron she had got him for his birthday a while before. He looked so domestic. "Ay, eyes off the pinny missus!" He walked past her and hit her on the bum with the tea towel. He rummaged in the fridge as she laughed at him.

"Sorry I can't help it, you look like a right domestic goddess." He winked at her.

"Why that is what I am. Take a seat and I will meet you with some breakfast." He pulled out a chair for her to perch on and showed her the range of food on the worktop for her to choose from.

"Mmm, I think I'll go for cereal with milk." He nodded and bowed before her.

"Of course my lady." She laughed, he liked to do odd voices. He knew it made her laugh so often did it to make her smile.

He passed her the bowl and sat beside her.

"Did you sleep well?" She nodded a little, not very convincingly. He gave her an unsure look making her sigh.

"Well it was okay, not the best."

"Is this one giving you trouble again?" He put his hand on her stomach and smiled.

"Nope, not last night actually. I just couldn't sleep. Too much thinking."

"What about?" He stroked her hair out of the way.

"Oh just work and my classes... I'm dreading having to admit the baby to them. You know how much mockery we got last time." She sighed.

"Honey, just ignore them. It's our life, our choices not theirs. Anyway, they just do it to get a reaction out of us. You know that." She nodded.

"True, I'll have to do it at some point. It's going to get a bit obvious otherwise." He chuckled.

"Well yes, it will but all will be fine. I'm just across the corridor if you need me remember." She smiled.

"Yeah, I might just have to come and see you anyway. You know, just if I feel the need to see your beautiful face." He grinned and leant in towards her lips.

"Oh really? Well I'll look forward to that then." They kissed softly before stopping when they heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

Lily strolled past them followed by Ellie. Recently they had let the girls get ready themselves for some more independence but it didn't seem to be working. Both of them kept entering the room with messy hair and half dressed. It was funny but always wasted time as they had to have their uniform sorted out by Danny and Clara anyway. Today Ellie had her jumper on backwards and her skirt all wonky and Lily had the worst possible case of bed hair and odd socks on. Clara laughed at the state of them as they strolled in still half asleep. She got off of the chair and went to kneel down to sort out Ellie's uniform. For the first time she realised that it was getting more difficult to do so. She got half way and then had to lean on Ellie slightly to get the whole way down. How she was going to get up was another story which she was sure would involve Danny in some way.

"Are you okay mummy?" Clara laughed and nodded her head.

"Yeah! I'm fine, it's just not as easy to move around now."

"Because of baby?" She nodded. "Naughty baby." Clara laughed.

"It can't help it though!" Ellie shrugged.

"I suppose so, sorry baby I didn't mean it. Good baby." She rested her hand on Clara's stomach as she spoke as though she was talking directly to her unborn sibling. It warmed Clara's heart to know that Ellie would always be such an amazing big sister.

As soon as they got to school Clara immediately felt anxious. She didn't even know why. She just hated being looked at and made the centre of attention. But she had decided that today was the day, the day when she told her students for good. It was the only way to quit the suspicions. Soon Danny walked over after putting his stuff down to see if she was okay.

"Hey, all set for today?" She looked up and smiled a little.

"Yeah I suppose so, I've got year 11s first though." Danny giggled a bit causing her to hit him on the chest. "It's not funny! They're a nightmare." He nodded in agreement.

"True, true, this year is pretty challenging but we'll get through it. Hopefully with some decent grades... I've got year 8s so that will be all good." She rolled her eyes.

"Lucky you, anyway, I'll see you later." He kissed her on the cheek and headed off to his class. She walked away from him to see a few of her class already stood outside her room. She gave them a brief smile before ushering them in. Once the class had filled up she grabbed her pen and began to write on the board.

"Right, Charles Dickens' Great-" She paused as she could hear the familiar chatter in the background. She knew exactly who it was, it was the same group of boys every lesson. The trouble makers, as she called them. "Sorry, am I boring you Josh?" He turned round in his chair and gave her a smarmy grin, one that made her blood boil.

"No, no of course not miss." She put her pen down and momentarily rubbed her stomach.

"Well what is the problem then?" He shrugged.

"Nothing... But I have a question." Before he could say anything else the boy next to him piped up. He spoke quietly to the side of him.

"Josh man, you can't ask a girl that." Clara sighed as the realisation of what he was going to ask hit her.

"Let me save you the trouble, yes everyone. I am pregnant. Just to put any rumours at bay. So if anyone has any problems with that they can speak up now..." Everyone sat in silence. "Great, that's what I thought. Now if we could get back to work?" Josh squirmed in his chair a little, feeling quite embarrassed. She had shocked him with her unexpected reply. She turned away from him and smiled a little, she suddenly felt a whole lot cleverer. Josh had been a constant trouble for months and she had finally managed to make him speechless. It felt good.

At the end of the day Danny went to find Clara in her classroom. She was, surprisingly, already packed up. Normally he had to wait for her to finish tidying up her class. As he walked in she was placing a box of books back up on the top shelf. She was reaching as far as possible much to Danny's alarm. He jumped in and took the box from her. He pushed it up on to the shelf with ease. She looked at him and rolled her eyes.

"I could do that you know." She walked over to the desk to get her bag ready and he followed her slowly.

"I'm sure you could but you shouldn't be. Please be careful." She rolled her eyes again. It was sweet that he was so cautious and cared so much but it could get slightly annoying sometimes.

"Okay, I will I promise." They headed towards the doors passing Josh and his group on their way. They looked at Clara rather oddly and then looked away when they clocked that Danny had seen. He opened the door for Clara but waited until it had shut behind them to speak.

"I'm guessing you told them then?" She nodded happily.

"Yup, and I'm glad of it. I think they'll back off for a bit now you know." Danny smiled.

"Let's hope so anyway, I think I might have to lob some textbooks their way if they don't." Clara laughed.

"You never know, that may help." Danny scoffed.

"I think it might. Shame I'm not allowed to though. But I'll tell you what I am allowed to do..." She looked up at him inquisitively.

"And what would that be?" He smiled as they sat down in the car.

"Let you watch that soppy love movie you like tonight." Suddenly she grinned widely.

"Oh you know how to treat me Mr Pink." He laughed.

"I sure do, but just this once." He winked at her.

"Just this once."

**Annndddd thank you for reading! New chapter should be up soon! Love you all x**


	25. Chapter 25- Frustration

**Hello again, this chapter is kinda dramatic sorryyyyyy **

Frustration

Another three months had gone by as though they were seconds. Time was going by so fast now that Clara and Danny had lost track. They had almost nothing ready for the new baby and couldn't even comprehend that they only had a bit less than two months to go until it arrived. Today though they had decided to get things sorted. The girls had gone out for the weekend with Dave and, much to their discomfort, Linda so they had time for some shopping.

"I'm praying that Linda isn't in an annoying mood this weekend... If she is then we're going to be given back some very upset girls." She sighed as she joined Danny at the kitchen table.

"So am I... I'm sure she'll be fine and she's had plenty of harsh words from Dave so hopefully the point has got through to her." Clara smiled and nodded before rubbing her stomach softly.

"This one won't stop wriggling today, it's like it's doing a dance in there." Danny laughed and stroked Clara's hair behind her ear.

"Maybe it's just very very happy?" She smiled.

"I hope so and actually I think it is... That's one good thing then but Danny how on earth has it got to seven months!? We've done nothing and we have almost no time left. We still need to plan the room, get more clothes, get a cot and a-" Danny stopped her.

"Woah, woah calm down, it's fine! I know we're a bit unprepared but we'll manage it. Most of the stuff is either last minute or stuff that we have in the loft somewhere already. It looks like more on paper trust me. So don't go stressing yourself, it's not worth the worry." She nodded as he kissed her on the head. "There we go, all calm. Let's get going."

When they returned from the shops Clara plopped herself down on the sofa as Danny brought the bags in to look through what they had got. Once they had unpacked it all they took a breath and looked at each other in amazement.

"I do not even want to think about how much we have just spent." Danny laughed sarcastically.

"Me neither, I think my bank account is crying." They laughed and stared to get things put away. Clara walked towards the stairs with some clothes on her way to tidy up when she stopped suddenly. She turned round to see a large blue box appear in the hallway. She rolled her eyes and called through to Danny. He came sprinting in like his usual concerned self without even looking at his surroundings.

"What's wrong!? Are you okay!?" She rolled her eyes.

"Wow you are wayyyy too uptight! It's okay, I'm fine but look." She pointed to the TARDIS. Soon the Doctor appeared from the doors rather hesitantly.

"Hello again." Clara frowned and leant down slowly to put the clothes down. Once she was back upright she ushered the Doctor through to the other room as she couldn't bare to watch him stood there so awkwardly any longer.

"Sit down." He perched on the sofa opposite Clara and licked his lips. He suddenly felt extremely awkward. He tried to think of something to say to break the silence but nothing sprung to mind.

"Are you going to say something then?" Clara spoke bluntly.

"Like what? Do you want me to tell a joke to lighten the mood?" She didn't laugh as expected leaving him wondering what was wrong. After another agonising pause he spoke again. "I'm sensing a lot of anger..." She snapped round to look at him.

"Really!? Are you now!? I wonder why that is." He looked her blankly.

"Is it something I've done?" He looked at her cluelessly which infuriated her even further.

"Really Doctor? So you don't think how you acted last time was a bit out of order then?" Now he looked down a little as though he had been reminded of the events.

"Well it wasn't exactly the best day I've had, let's put it that way. But I had a reason for it." She looked at him for explanation.

"Well I'm sure it's delightful... Go on." He sat quietly and waited for Clara to understand what he wanted her to say. Eventually she cottoned on. She turned to look at Danny before holding his hand. "Would you mind giving us a few minutes? I'm sorry, I know this was meant to be our day but I think this is important." He nodded and kissed her head.

"It's okay, I understand. Take all the time you need." They smiled at each other as he walked out of the room. Once he had shut the door the Doctor relaxed slightly.

"Thank you for that." She said nothing and just waited for him to speak. "Okay well I don't really know where to start." She looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean? Just tell me? What can be so important that you can't just tell me?" He looked at the ground. The realisation hit her suddenly. "This is serious isn't it?"

"Yeah it is... You know that man we saw on Trenzalore? The one that nearly killed us and then you had the baby and-" Clara stopped him as it was bringing back way to many memories that she would rather forget.

"Yes, yes I remember... I kinda don't want to hear all of that again." He smiled and carried on.

"Well I think I know who he is... I said that he's from my future but now I'm not so sure. I did some investigating and the outcome is not good." She nodded, trying to take it all in. "He's part of a hive mind sent by the Daleks." Now the clueless expression came back to her.

"What's a hive mind?" He paused to reconfigure his words.

"It's like the Facebook of Daleks if you like. It's where they store all of their memories, feelings, hates, loves etc. Sometimes they convert that into a living being, hence the man, and send them to dispose of enemies."

"Dispose? So he was actually trying to kill us?" He considered his answer.

"Yes... Well not us, me. The Daleks want me dead but you and Danny got in their way. So they now probably want to kill you too..." Clara put her head in her hands. Why was travelling with him always to difficult?

"Oh great! That's just perfect, just what I needed to hear. Wait, how come he got the Whispermen to help him then?"

"I guess he kind of recruited them, I mean the Daleks are the most powerful race in all of the universe so I doubt anyone would say no." Clara laughed a little.

"Apart from you, that is." She expected him to laugh back but he didn't. He just looked at her through saddened eyes. The way he looked at her when he knew something bad was going to happen.

"Maybe not this time..." She sat back slightly after becoming increasingly uncomfortable in the position she was sat in.

"What do you mean? What's going to happen now? Is that what you need to tell me?" He looked back down at the ground and repositioned himself before speaking.

"Clara there's no easy way of saying this... But you're in incredible danger and I don't have time to stop it." The sense of alarm hit her and she jerked forwards, rather regrettably at that.

"Doctor what do you mean? What's going to happen?"

"The Daleks have some sort of scheme in which they plan to take over the universe. That means conquering all planets so that they have no opposition. So eventually they will get to Earth." She relaxed slightly.

"But that's fine isn't it? You can stop it can't you? Like you always do and always have." He shook his head and rubbed his chin with his hand. She wasn't quite getting the idea.

"No, it's not like that this time... They aren't just taking over the universe, they are going through a list of selected targets to kill first. That means anyone who they have ever hunted, tried to kill and failed or has shown chance of opposition to them."

"But that's like the whole universe anyway isn't it? Everyone has stood up to them." He shook his head again.

"Not in the way the see it, no. To be seen as opposition to a Dalek you have to have physically of harmed one of them. So that limits the numbers. The are going to dispose of threatening opposition and then conquer everything." Clara sat completely still. She didn't know what to say. "Because of what happened to us on Trenzalore you and Danny are now extremely high up on their list. They want to kill you and there's nothing you can do about it." She looked at him in surprise.

"What do you mean? I don't understand? Why can't you do something about it Doctor? You have saved me so many times. Why can't you do it this time?" He sighed, knowing that what he was going to say would hurt her.

"I don't have time, I can't do it." Now she looked at him in disgust. How could he even say that?

"How can you not have time to save my life!? How can you say that?" He shrugged.

"I have planets to save."

"Yeah and I get that! But you have to try to save the people! Surely it's not just me and Danny who will be killed. You can't just give up on everyone!"

"What other option do I have!?" She got up and walked around a bit.

"I don't know! But you always come up with something!" He sighed.

"I can't do it Clara! Why should I!? Why is your life so much more important than everyone else's!?" As soon as the words came out of his mouth he regretted saying it. Why did he say that? He had no need to.

"I'm not saying that my life is more important but innocent people's lives are! And surely you have the time to save some lives? Or even give me and Danny a chance?" He shook his head.

"Clara I can't! It's not like you even travel with me anymore!" Now she looked angry. He had no right to say that. What had gotten into him?

"Yeah because I have a family now! I gave it up in the nicest way possible, you know that!"

"That doesn't mean that I should save you! Why should I bother!? Why should I bother saving anyone's lives if they are going to die anyway!?" She walked towards him.

"What has happened to you Doctor? You used to be so forgiving and would never give up innocent people's lives." He looked her in the eyes.

"I changed. And maybe it's not such a bad thing. I've learnt to spend less time on the little people that don't have any significance." The anger boiled over.

"How can you even say that!? I-... You know what? I think you were right. You are just an idiot." She pushed past him and stormed out of the front door. She walked as fast as she could until she was unseen from the house. She had decided to leave as if she didn't she would have ended up getting more wound up. No one needed that right now. Danny ran into the living room to see the Doctor looking at the open door.

"What did you do!? Where has she gone!?" Danny was getting more and more concerned.

"She got angry and stormed out! I tried to talk to her but she didn't listen." Danny tutted.

"Oh no I heard you! You were shouting and raging at her!" The Doctor began to raise his voice.

"Oh so you were listening then were you!? So much for respecting her privacy!" Danny looked at him in disgust.

"Who are you to talk about her privacy?! I think I know her much better than you thank you!" It had now become less of an argument and more of a competition.

"Is that why she kept running away with me behind your back all those years ago!?" Danny motioned his anger with his hands.

"You know what? I'm not doing this now! I'm going to find my wife." He turned away after giving an angry look and stormed off, closing the door behind him. The Doctor just stood in the centre of the room wondering what to do next.

Danny ran out of their street and looked along both sides of the long stretch of pathway. She was nowhere to be seen. He ran down to his left in the hope that she had gone to where she always went, the park. His jog turned into a sprint as he got to the field on the opposite side. As he got close to the gate he scanned the area for her but she didn't seem to be there. He stood in the centre not knowing where to go next. In desperation he ran out of the gate and round the other side of the neighbouring trees. Relief took over him as he found her curled up slightly on the grassy bank by the river. He ran over and sat down next to her.

"Clara!" She looked up and it was clear that she had been crying. She was also shivering so he took off his jacket and placed it over her shoulders. She smiled a little and leant into him. He put his arms around her making her burst into tears. "It's okay, it's okay, I'm here." He reassured her of his presence as it always seemed to relax her. In this situation, despite his need to rant about the Doctor, he did what he knew was right and held her tightly until she calmed down.

A few minutes later she pulled her legs around from where they were curled up and set them out straight in front of her. She then leaned back onto Danny again before speaking.

"I've messed up again." He looked at her with confusion.

"Hey, how have you messed up? It was him who had a go at you."

"I know, I know, but he probably did it with good reason." Danny shook his head.

"And what reason would that be then?" He paused for an answer but one wasn't given. "You have done nothing wrong, nothing at all. It's him! Every time! He keeps turning up and spoiling things, making you feel bad for things that you aren't responsible for. I hate it." He saw Clara sigh so he stopped speaking. He knew how much she hated the fact that him and the Doctor didn't get along. Now wasn't the time to be bad-mouthing him, however much he deserved it. "I'm sorry, I'll stop, that's not what you want to hear now. But I just don't see how it's your fault?" She looked up at him.

"Did you hear what we were saying? Be honest, because I know you were listening." He sighed.

"I heard the argument at the end but I couldn't quite get the gist of the conversation. And sorry for eavesdropping, I was worried about you." She smiled.

"It's alright, I kind of expected you to anyway." She winked at him making him smile. Her expression soon changed though as she started to speak again. "Danny were in danger and I don't know what to do about it." Now his expression changed as well.

"How are we in danger?"

"The Doctor said that the Daleks are going to come to earth and kill people who have proved as opposition to them which means that we are on their list." Danny looked at her again not quite getting what was going on.

"How?"

"Remember when I went into labour with Lily and there was that man there?" He nodded.

"Yeah, I'm not going to forget that in a hurry... But what does that have to do with it?"

"The man is part of the Dalek race and we harmed him so that makes us enemies. The Doctor said that he would come for us first and then conquer the universe or something like that." There was silence for a while as Danny tried to process the information. That gave Clara time to sit and calm down for a second. She hadn't done so yet as it had all happened so quickly. She realised that she had become extremely uncomfortable and soon regretted marching from the house so fast as an unusual pain kept spreading along her lower abdomen. For the time being she ignored it, what Danny was thinking was more important.

"Can't he stop it?"

"That was what the argument was about... He said that he didn't have time to save us and that we weren't 'important' enough to bother with." She used her fingers to show the inverted commas. "That was when we both snapped, well I snapped first and he joined in... I'm just so angry that he said that. It's so unlike him and so unthoughtful. Back when I was traveling with him he would never have said that, he always said that everyone was important no matter who they were and now he's totally gone back on that. He can't even be bothered to save us. After all him and I have been through he can't be bothered to do it... So now it's my fault that he got angry, my fault that he said those things and my fault that our family is in danger." She slumped forwards slightly away from Danny. He sat forwards too and stroked her hair back as he always did.

"Hey, hey. That's not true. People change, people have bad days. Maybe today was your bad day and his too. I'm sure, actually I promise you, that he didn't mean what he said. And as for it being your fault it's clearly not. You may have shouted first but you didn't make him shout back, that was him and his choice. Nothing will happen to our family, I won't let it! And don't you worry about that because I promise you from the bottom of my heart that we will be fine, all five of us." He smiled and put a hand on her stomach. She turned to face him a little, clearly emotionally drained.

"You're very good at cheering me up you know. I may not believe every word you say but most of them make incredible sense." He chuckled and let her weight lean on to him.

"Happy to help, that's what I'm here for remember." She smiled before shivering again. "You look freezing! Come on, let's get you home eh?" She nodded and watched him stand up to the side of her. He held out a hand for her to take to help her up.

"God I don't think I can get up." They both laughed as Danny leaned down further to pull her upwards. Once she was up she stood still for a second. "That was so much lower than I first thought." Danny laughed and took her hand. They headed home across the field slowly. As they were walking Clara was using her spare hand to heavily caress her stomach.

"Are you okay?" She smiled up to him.

"Yeah, I just regret walking over here so fast earlier. I think it's shaken this one up a bit." Danny tried to hide his over-concerned face but it clearly didn't work as Clara was straight on to reassuring him. "It's fine I promise. Nothing a nice cuppa and a movie won't sort out." He smiled and kissed her head.

"I think I can stretch to that."

Danny entered the door first leaving Clara to hear him sigh.

"Danny? What is it?" He moved to the side to allow her to see for herself. As she walked forwards a bit she saw the Doctor stood where they left him looking at them intently. She soon sighed as well, she didn't want to deal with this right now.

"Why are you still here Doctor?" He shrugged as she spoke.

"I wanted to see if you were okay..." Clara scoffed.

"Well that's not what you were saying earlier! You were happy to sign me to my death!" He put his head in his hands and sat on the sofa.

"Clara that's not what I meant." She placed her hands on her hips.

"Oh! What did you mean then?" There was a pause.

"I meant that I need to save the whole universe as well as the other people. I have more than one thing to do."

"No that's not what you said. You made out that the people here are irrelevant and that they have no importance, like they are nothing to you... That's not like you Doctor, before you'd never say that, ever. What's changed?" Again, there was a pause.

"I... I don't know." She sighed and sat down slowly.

"We both know that's a lie." He looked up at her, she always had been a bit too perceptive.

"Okay... The truth is I don't know how to save you, or the universe for that matter. It was easier to tell you that I couldn't save you and that I had other things to do because..." She interrupted.

"You finally admitted that you don't know something. Oh Doctor... It's okay to not know sometimes. You don't have to have a plan right now, frankly it would be odd if you did as last minute plans are much more your thing, but you will find one soon. When the time comes you will stop it like you always do, I know it." He smiled at her. He had missed her, he truly had.

"I really hope so because if I don't it's going to be very messy." He stood up and smiled down at Clara. "I'll get off then... Sorry about today, things didn't really go to plan." She laughed a little.

"You can say that again. Just please don't worry about all of it, just work on getting that plan. I'll see you soon yes?" He nodded and headed into the TARDIS. Just before he closed the door he looked at Danny. They caught eye contact as much as Danny had tried not to.

"I meant what I said... I'm sorry we don't get along but it's true." He then walked in and closed the door to take off. Danny watched him go angrily. He was so annoyed and so wound up but there was nothing he could do about it, it was the most frustrating thing. Clara noticed this and called him over.

"What did he say earlier?" Danny shook his head whilst looking at her.

"Don't worry, it's nothing. You don't need to hear it now." She looked at him more inquisitively.

"No, no, what did he say?" Danny sighed.

"Okay... We had an argument because I had heard him shouting at you and then saw you left. He said that I shouldn't have been eavesdropping and that he cares for you more than I do as you couldn't trust me enough to tell me about travelling together." Clara gave him a sympathetic look.

"Oh Danny you know that's not true right?" He nodded.

"Yeah but I hate to see you upset because me and him don't get along."

"That's okay, I've sorta accepted that now to be honest. Don't worry about it, I'll sort it next time I see him, I promise." He smiled. It wasn't until she had said it that she recalled that she may have made a promise that she couldn't keep. She had no idea if the Doctor would listen to her. Either way, she had to try.

"Okay should we put that movie on then?" She nodded as she watched him get up. As he leant down to put he disc in she found herself breathing a bit more heavily. Suddenly a sharp pain stabbed her lower abdomen. She winced and leant forward in pain. Danny leaped to her side.

"Clara? What's happening?!" She sat back a little as the pain slowly subsided.

"I... I don't know? That was weird, really weird." She rubbed her stomach as she got her breath back.

"Is it gone now?" She nodded and relaxed a little.

"It was like a stabbing pain at the bottom of my stomach but it's gone now." Danny placed a hand on her head and then on her abdomen as though he was checking for anything abnormal.

"Did it feel like the baby?" She pondered her answer for a second.

"Err, I don't know? Like it didn't feel normal but it didn't feel like the baby either?" He looked at her with concern.

"Okay, well tell me if it happens again yes? It's hopefully just a one-off thing." She nodded and he lifted himself up to sit beside her again. He realised that he was reassuring himself more than her, she was a lot more calm than him. She laid on him slightly allowing his arms to drape over her. They relaxed into the movie and enjoyed the rest of the evening.

The next morning Clara woke to see Danny looking at her lovingly. She yawned and stretched a little.

"Morning." He grinned.

"Morning sleepy head." She kissed him softly.

"How are you feeling today?" She turned over slightly to have her head resting on his chest.

"Okay actually, I haven't had any more pains so I don't know what that was last night." She felt him shrug.

"Maybe you were right, you had just walked too fast and upset the baby a little. I'm sure it'll be fine." She nodded,

"Yeah, I'm sure it will." She lifted her head to face him allowing him to kiss her again. She returned the kiss making the most of the time they had left just the two of them.

**Thank you for reading guyssss, please, please, please don't hesitate to tell me what you think! Any comments are much appreciated!xx**


	26. Chapter 26- Heat

**I apologise in advance for this chapter...**

Heat

Danny got up from bed and sighed. Friday had finally arrived which he couldn't be more happy about to be quite honest. It had been a long week. He walked round to the other side of the bed and opened the curtains. As the light spread through he heard a groan from Clara. She rolled back over and covered her face with the duvet. He chuckled as he moved back on to the bed so that he could see her face.

"Wake up sweetie." He stroked her hair back out of her face and kissed her forehead. She lifted her arms out of the covers to put them around him. She didn't open her eyes, she just moaned a little more.

"Do I have to get up Danny?" He laughed and kissed her arm.

"Yeah, unfortunately you do but it's your last day! So then you can sleep in for a while." She opened her eyes slowly now and stretched a little.

"True, one more day. I think cope with that." Danny smiled as he sat up again.

"Lucky for you, I've still got another week until I finish. I think paternity leave should be the same amount of time as maternity leave, you know." He winked at her knowing that she was going to disagree.

"Hey you! You're not the one that has to have the baby! You do no work! You can just sit there and watch!" She hit him with the pillow playfully. He jumped up out of the way.

"Okay, okay, good point, well made." They both laughed.

"Yeah, I thought so." Clara grinned at him before lugging herself out of bed.

For once, Clara managed to get downstairs before both girls and was greeted by them five or ten minutes later. As they walked in Lily stopped and looked at Clara oddly. Clara looked back, confused.

"Are you okay missus?" It took a minute but Lily eventually replied.

"I... Why... Why are you dressed for work? I thought you had finished for baby now?" Clara smiled at her cuteness. She was still half asleep so took a while to configure what she was actually saying.

"Not yet, today's my last day honey." Lily looked at Clara briefly but was more concentrated on rubbing her eyes and yawning. Clara sighed and walked over to her.

"Are you tired honey?" She nodded and leant on Clara's leg. Clara stroked her hair a little.

"But it's Friday! So it's okay, you can sleep in more tomorrow!" Now she smiled.

"Yayyyyy!" She shouted and stomped her feet. Clara laughed. How a person that little carry so much noise she had no idea but it sure was entertaining. Ellie giggled.

"What are you doing Lily?" She looked to her side to watch Lily trying to climb up onto the chair whilst happily dancing away to the tune she was humming.

"I'm climb-dancing!" They all laughed as Danny picked her up and placed her on the chair to eat her breakfast.

"Climb-dancing." Danny muttered under his breath as he walked over to get the milk from the fridge. He looked at Clara and they both laughed a little more.

The school run was just as jolly. The radio was on and they were all dancing and singing along. Clara and Danny were laughing and Ellie and Lily were jiggling around in the back. They were all so happy. It warmed Clara and Danny's hearts to see them like that. Almost to the point that they didn't want to let them go. They dropped Lily off first and for the first time in weeks she had gone into nursery without protesting. Ellie went in easily as well. It was as though the mood of the house had been impacting everything and now that it was sorted they could go back to normal again.

Both Clara and Danny entered the school with a spring in their step and a smile on their face with was clearly noticeable amongst the staff and the pupils, especially Clara's year 10s. She and them first lesson so was still in a delightful mood. They walked in as usual like their unmotivated selves to which Clara sighed.

"Right, good morning all!" They all sat patiently waiting for her to ask them to get their books out but she didn't say a thing until one boy spoke up.

"Miss? What are we doing today then?" She smiled.

"Well since today is my last day with you guys for a while I figured that we could do something that you want to do instead of me deciding like normal?" A huge number of grins appeared around the room. "So, any suggestions?" One of the boys at the back spoke up first.

"Can we have a football tournament on the field!?" A cheer came from the other boys in the class. Clara laughed.

"Nice idea Jamie but I was thinking more something inside the classroom. Any other ideas?" Now Amy spoke up from the front of the room.

"Can we watch a movie?" An audible chatter and cheer from her peers confirmed the idea.

"I think we could manage that. Which one would you like? Within reason, no swearing or other stuff that you kids shouldn't be watching." They all laughed.

After deciding on Finding Nemo, they all sat back to watch it. Clara moved to the side to get some final marking done and so that she was out of the way of the screen. As she did she swung round to face the other way without looking where she was going and hit her stomach hard on the filing cabinet. Her hand whipped to her abdomen. She used the cabinet to rest her weight on as she winced in pain.

"Miss are you okay!?" She bit her lip and looked up slowly. She didn't want to show too much pain on her face. Instead she breathed deeply and stood herself back up straight.

"Yes, I'm okay, all is fine." They smiled in relief and continued to watch the movie. Clara moved slowly to sit down and get her breath back. Something didn't feel right now but she couldn't place a finger on what it was. Again, the pain didn't feel normal. That aside, there wasn't much she could do so she just rubbed her stomach carefully.

Break time rolled around and the year 7s left her room. Once they had she sat down and breathed deeply. She regretted not looking where she was going earlier as she seemed to be in quite a bit of pain now. As she was sat back in her chair Danny strolled in. He saw the pain in her eyes so instantly moved to help her. He crouched down in front of her and placed one hand on her stomach. As he did so she whipped her hand down so that she could pull him away. He moved back a little in surprise.

"What's happened Clara?!" He could tell something had because she hadn't told him the second he entered the room. She looked up at him and sighed.

"You're not going to like it... Because I wasn't watching where I was going again." He sighed.

"Clara, again?" He paused for a second to sigh. "Look it doesn't matter, what happened?" She sat back a little.

"I was over the other side of the room and I turned to move away from the screen and I didn't look where I was stood so I hit myself on the filing cabinet. And where you placed your hand was right where I hit it, hence why I jumped away." He looked at her with concern.

"Did you hit it hard?" She nodded to which he sighed.

"Pretty hard yeah, but I can't work out if it hurts because of the way I bashed it or because of the baby." She continued to rub her stomach as Danny brushed his hands over his face.

"Well if you hit it hard then we should really go to the hospital to get you checked out." She shook her head.

"No, no, no, we don't need to do that."

"That's what I thought you would say so what do you want to do?"

"I think I'll be fine, I'll know if anything is wrong. I might as well just plod on with the day." Danny nodded at her rather reluctantly. "It'll be okay, I promise. But you know what you could do for me?"

"Anything, what do you need?" She grinned at his concerned smile, he was so sweet.

"Can I have a cup of tea please?" He nodded before standing up and kissing her head.

"Okay, I'll be five minutes, don't move." He winked.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere in a hurry." He left quickly leaving Clara alone in the room. Being her usual self, always dismissing the safest idea, she got up slowly and walked along to tidy the room a bit.

As she got to the side of the class she heard a huge bang. Screams started to arise from the neighbouring classes but there wasn't enough time for her to react as suddenly the wall crumbled into pieces throwing her to the floor. Then, everything went black...

Meanwhile Danny was quickly getting her cup of tea in the staff room when everyone stopped at the bang. He put the cup down and looked at his colleagues with confusion.

"What on earth was that!?" The head said.

"I'll go and see what's going on." He announced as he walked towards the door. He opened it quickly and was taken aback by the roaring flames he saw before him. He was met by several huge walls of dust and smoke that made it almost impossible to see down the corridor. Rubble lie everywhere on the ground and the building creaked in strain. A few other teachers met him outside now. They gasped.

"What happened!?"

"Oh my god!" Everyone was exclaiming in shock apart from Danny who was looking further down the building whilst shielding his face with his arm.

"It must have been an explosion, call 999!" He heard people shouting from the back but he said nothing. Suddenly it dawned on him...

"Clara! Oh my god, Clara!" Without thinking he went to run through the flames but was held back by Adrien.

"No Danny! Wait! The fire brigade are on their way!" He shook his head, worry overcoming his body.

"No I need to find her!" He shook Adrien's hand off of his shoulder and ran before anyone could stop him. Once he was round the corner he slowed down a little knowing that no one could see him. The school seemed to become like a maze. Everything looked so distorted and nothing like normal. Before he could get his bearings he heard a small child crying. He followed the noise until he saw one of the year 7 boys whimpering in the corner. Danny quickly crouched down to speak to him.

"Are you okay!? Are you hurt!?" The boy shook his head but began to cough violently. "Okay, it's okay, I'm going to get you out of here." He picked him up and ran back round to where he had come from. He looked over to hear Adrien telling him to turn back. The fire had spread violently, blocking most of the ways out. Danny turned quickly to see a fire exit to the left of him. He ran and burst it open. As he got outside he heard the sirens, they whirred around him making everything even more of a blur. The other teachers had got the students to move back away from the building but it hadn't stopped the commotion. They all stared in shock at Danny coughing and spluttering with the small boy in his arms. Another teacher ran up to him and took the boy and gave him to a paramedic.

"Danny, are you alright?!" He bent over and coughed violently. Without answering, he turned to run back inside. "Danny, no!" She pulled him back.

"I have to find Clara!" Before anyone could grab him he ran back inside. He sprinted towards the English rooms but was stopped again by some more students. Jake, a year 11 boy, was stood by the edge of the building resting against the wall.

"Jake get outside!" Danny motioned towards the door he had just come through. Jake shook his head despite the obvious pain he was in.

"I can't, in there." He pointed to the classroom across from them. "There's people in there, we have to get them out." Danny nodded and took the lead.

When they got inside they saw six or seven kids huddled together in the back of the class. Danny ran towards them and smiled reassuringly.

"Come on, let's get out of here." One of the girls shook her head.

"She can't move, something fell on her leg." She showed Danny her friend's mangled calf.

"Okay, umm." He paused as he tried to think back to his army days. "That's fine, we can still get her out. Maisie, come round here and hold her feet. Jake come here and take her weight. Lift her slowly and try not to move the leg too much if possible. Take her outside and to the door, okay?" The girls nodded. But Jake stopped.

"Sir, aren't you coming?!" Danny got up and headed for the door.

"Sorry but I've got to find Mrs Pink. You go on, get out safely." They all got to the corridor and split their different ways. Danny's walk soon became a sprint again as he knew he was only a few classes away.

He saw the door and ran for it, expecting it to be open. Something inside the room stopped it leaving him hitting the wood hard. He fell backwards and groaned in pain. Clutching his shoulder he tried again. On three he pushed it open with all of his might. From the outside of the room he called desperately.

"CLARA!?" He awaited a reply and was more than relieved when he got one.

"DANNY! DANNY I'M IN HERE! DANNY, HELP!" Clara screeched in pain making Danny's determination double.

When he entered the panic took over him. All he could see was fire and rubble throughout the room but no sign of Clara until he heard her voice again. It sounded so full of emotion it made his heart rip apart. It was like a mixture of pain, sadness and helplessness all in one. He had to save her, he had to.

"Danny!?" He saw her move a little under a desk so jumped to her side. He looked at her and immediately wanted to cry. She looked so small, so feeble. Why had this happened to her? Why her, he asked himself. He moved her hair back and leant down to comfort her crying.

"It's okay, it's okay, I've got you." She continued to whimper into his chest.

"Danny." He rocked her back and forwards a little to calm her down.

"I'm here, it's okay. I'm going to get you out of here. I promise." He put his hand behind her head and began to lift her from under the table. A scream in pain stopped him instantly.

"Clara? What hurts?" She pulled her hand down to her stomach.

"The baby, Danny the baby." His eyes widened. She leant back down on him and breathed deeply. He paused for a moment trying to configure a plan in his head.

"Right we need to get out of here Clara. If we don't neither of us are going to make it..." She looked up at him and nodded. She knew what needed to be done, she just didn't know how she was going to do it. The truth had to be faced and reality had to be served but they were the two most difficult things. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, let's go." He placed his hand behind her head again and put the other on her back so that he could pull her from under the rubble. Once she was sat up he paused for a second to check that she was okay. He saw another tear falling down her cheek which he wiped away softly.

"That was the hard part. Not long to go and we'll be safe again, yeah?" She nodded and leaned against his shoulder. She tried to hide the pain she was in as there wasn't much they could do about it at that moment, the best option was to push on and get out of the building.

Danny got up to check the doorway and the fire outside of it. As he did he lost his footing slightly and had to break his fall on the wall next to them.

"Danny! Be careful!" He nodded and began to walk again. He looked at the spreading fire along the corridor and sighed. They were going to have to be quick. The place wasn't going to hold up for much longer.

"Okay, we can still get out but we need to move now. We haven't got too much longer." Clara nodded and took a deep breath. She used what was left of the table to push herself up but was unsuccessful. Danny ran over to support her. "Steady, steady." They began to head for the door when they heard voices from outside.

"HELLO!? IS ANYONE INSIDE THE BUILDING?" A deep voice called. The fire brigade. Danny looked up in hope.

"WERE IN HERE! HELP, HELP PLEASE!" They heard the sound of fire extinguishers beginning to put out the flames and hoses being pulled from the trucks. Everything seemed to be looking up until there was a massive groan from the buildings infrastructure. They both looked up at the ceiling that was getting weaker every second. The fireman spoke again.

"STAY WHERE YOU ARE, WE'LL COME TO YO-" Before he could finish, the roof shook and began to crumble above them. With an almighty roar it fell leaving the whole area a pile of rock and dust. They both dived down towards the floor to protect themselves. Danny used his body as a shield over Clara as she protected their heads with her arms. Once all of the rubble had stopped falling, the room turned to silence...

Danny awoke slowly and rolled himself over. A fit of coughing shook his body like a rattle and immediately startled him awake. He sat up a little and scanned the room around him. It was unrecognisable. It looked like a bomb had been dropped, devastating everything in sight. His train of thought soon changed when he heard Clara wake in a fit of coughing much like he had. He tried to move over towards her but yelled in pain when he did. He looked down to his leg to see a large concrete block pressing it to the ground. He tried to sit up some more and pull his leg away but it was too heavy and only resulted in more agony. Clara opened her eyes slowly and took a moment to adjust. Once she had, she sat up quickly and looked to Danny.

"Danny!? Are you okay!?" He nodded despite the clear look of pain on his face. "You're not, what's hurt?!" He sighed and pointed down to his leg.

"The concrete block, it landed on my leg." She laid back down a little and placed a hand on his face, feeling rather guilty.

"Danny you shouldn't have protected me! You got yourself more hurt!" Her voice was incredibly weak yet full of emotion. He sighed and moved as best he could to see her face clearly.

"I had to, you know that." She gave him a sympathetic look.

"Well it looks like we're both worst for wear then doesn't it." He laughed a little and smiled at her, despite what had just happened.

"Yeah, this has not been a good day... What are we going to do? How are we going to get out of here now?" He laid his head back as he said it and she did the same.

"I literally have no idea. But we need to pretty quickly because I don't want to find out what is going to happen if we don't." She finished her sentence rather quickly as she soon groaned in pain again. She grabbed Danny's hand for support to which he squeezed hers harder.

"Breathe, just breathe. It will be over soon, don't worry." Despite being in agonising pain himself he still used up all of his energy on reassuring Clara. After all, there wasn't much else he could do. It wasn't like he could sit up or move closer to her. He was stuck with a broken leg that was bleeding more and more every second. It made him feel so helpless.

They laid back on the rubble hand in hand comforting each other's crying. The building creaked around them and was ready to collapse completely. The fire was spreading further and making it increasingly hard to breathe. Clara seemed to have calmed down a bit but Danny was far from relaxed. He lifted the top of his body up as far as he could to get a good look at his leg. Clara looked over.

"What are you doing?" He pulled himself up even further, breathing through the pain as he did.

"I think I could move this. If I just-" Clara interrupted him.

"Danny stop, just stop." He looked at her in surprise.

"Why!? We need to get out of here!" She nodded.

"I know but think about it, if you move that block your leg is going to bleed heavily. You can't walk on it and I can barely walk either so how are we going to get out anyway?"

"I don't know! But we have to try! We can't give up!" Tears begins to fall down his cheeks.

"I'm not giving up, I'm being realistic. Danny, it's too much. We're stuck." He continued to look down at her in disgust.

"No! I'm not going to stop! We need to get out of here! What about our two little girls!? And our lives and our home!? I'm not giving up that." He started to cry uncontrollably. Clara pulled him down and moved closer towards him. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his head.

"We'll be fine. I don't know how but we will. Come on, don't cry. Remember, giving up is not always a bad idea. It can just mean you are doing what is best..."

They laid there, amongst the rubble and the fire, motionless with no hope left between them. Was this going to be the end? What else could they do other than keep each other company in the time that they had left...

***hides far, far away and begs for forgiveness***


	27. Chapter 27- Heartache

**Oh my gosh I can not get over Clara's death/exit in Face the Raven or the Doctors reaction in Heaven Sent... Just no, no thank youuu :((( anywayssss here's the next part so I hope you enjoy it!**

**Btw it's rather emotional...x**

Heartache

Danny stirred in and out of consciousness whilst his leg continued to bleed heavily on to the rubble beneath them. Clara's tears fell slowly down her cheeks as she watched his pain. She felt so numb. Numb to the point that she had begun to ignore her own pain knowing that there was no point focusing on it. They must have only been there for half an hour but it felt like an age to them. Every second felt like year and every creak of the building sent their heart rates through the roof. Clara slowly turned over a little and looked towards the door. The fire seemed to have calmed down and the illuminating light had stopped flickering on the walls. She wiped her tears and heaved herself upwards. As she did Danny breathed heavily, using all of his energy to throw his hand over towards her.

"Clara no." She looked at his tear stained cheeks and smiled softly.

"I'm gonna get us out of here, no matter what the cost." He attempted to shake his head but failed with the lack of energy he had left in him.

"No!" He coughed as he spoke. She kissed him on the head and shushed him.

"I'll be okay, just stay there. I'll be back in a second I promise." As she spoke to him she noticed that she was slowly reassuring herself as well as him. Anything could happen out there and she was hardly fit to face it, but she had no other option. She leaned back over and used the desk to pull herself up. After a few attempts she finally managed. Whilst breathing through the pain she steadily walked to the door. Despite the agony she was in she kept going. She had to save Danny. If not herself, she had to save Danny.

She reached the door where she stopped to have a break. Her eyes scanned the area looking for a way out. She saw the fire exit that the men must have come through half open, but before it was a mass of metal and wooden beams that had fallen from the ceiling. She sighed and rubbed her head, suddenly feeling extremely faint. The lack of oxygen was exhausting.

"Okay." She said to herself. "Let's go." She looked back over to Danny for motivation before heading towards the mass of rubble. She clambered over, stopping every so often at the creaks from above. Her heart was beating out of her chest and her vision was getting blurrier and blurrier. The pain was getting unbearable but she refused to stop. She was so so close.

Once the door was in sight she heaved herself forwards, barely being able to hold her own body weight, and pushed it open. She sighed to see teachers and students staring at her in shock. She must have looked worse than she first thought. The noise level began to raise but it all suddenly became a blur around her when she bent over in pain. She placed her hands on her stomach and screamed. Her legs fell from under her and she cried into her chest until the paramedics ran over.

"Danny, get my husband! Please! He's inside!" She used all of her energy to throw out enough words to make sense of the situation. A paramedic turned to face the firemen who immediately ran into the building. As an oxygen mask was placed on her face her eyes began to close and she lost all consciousness. The sirens and the voices gradually fell silent...

Back inside the building Danny laid still, now completely unconscious. The firemen walked in cautiously following the lead. Once he saw Danny he used his hand to motion the others to come inside.

"Danny Pink? Can you hear me?" He spoke to his body and got no response. "Danny?" He placed his hand on his face and used a torch to check his pupils. He then checked his pulse. "Pulse is weak, we need to get him out of here now." Two men ran to get a stretcher whilst the others steadied Danny for the manoeuvre. Just as the stretcher came back Danny awoke a little. He breathed heavily and winced in pain. The fireman reacted quickly.

"Okay, Danny, stay still. We're going to get you out of here." He shook his head and tried to look around the room.

"Clara." He spoke weakly as he was held still by the other men.

"Your wife is fine, they've taken her to the hospital. We'll get out of here and you can go to see her." He relaxed back a little and let them get on with what they needed to do. "Okay so I need you to brace yourself as this will be painful." Danny looked at him with terror. "We'll do it as quickly as possible." They placed a metal bar beneath the block and began to pull it upwards. As they did Danny screamed in pain. The flesh and muscle had been pushed off and bone was visible. The block ripped off the remaining skin he had making more blood pour out. He laid back and drifted back to unconsciousness again so they got him on the stretcher as soon as possible.

They ran out of the building and got him straight into an ambulance. Looks of shock and terror arose from the students around the playground. They had never expected to see two of their teachers in such pain. It was devastating. The school, the memories and the pride had gone. Everything ripped down to shreds like it was never there.

Clara and Danny were both rushed to different areas of the hospital where nurses and doctors worked furiously on them to maintain their lives. Both rooms were busy yet so tense. Everyone was working at their very hardest to prevent the worst from occurring.

Two hours later

Clara woke suddenly and sat up with a start. She breathed heavily as her eyes raced around the room. She pulled at the wires attached to her and then felt down to her stomach which was causing her pain. A nurse ran in to settle her down.

"Mrs Pink, Mrs Pink. Please calm down, you're okay. You're safe. You're in the Linford Lower Hospital, you were brought in a few hours ago. Just lay back down and breathe. We need to get you stabilised." She ignored the instructions and spoke anxiously.

"No, no! Where's Danny!? Where's my husband!?" Another nurse joined and together they managed to get Clara laid back down.

"He's just across the corridor with the other doctors who are treating him. Calm down, it's okay."

"Is he alive!?" There was a pause as the nurses exchanged a glance whilst working out what to say. "Please! What's going on!?"

"He's in a bad way but they are doing everything they can. He's in theatre right now but we will have more news very soon." She shook her head and leant back.

"I should be there with him. Gosh, it's all my fault." The nurse shook her head.

"No, don't think like that. It's not your fault, it was an accident. Don't forget, you are injured as well so you need to think about your safely too." She looked up at the ceiling in attempt to hold back the tears that were collecting in the corner of her eyes but was soon distracted when a sharp pain shot through her stomach. She winced and leant forwards in pain. The nurses jumped back to her side to calm her down.

"What's happening?" She spoke breathlessly.

"The baby is very unsettled at the moment so it's not uncommon to get shooting pains. The doctor is going to come through in a second and give you more information." They smiled and laid her back again.

A while later a tall, skinny woman entered with a clipboard and a pen.

"Mrs Pink?" Clara pushed herself upwards and nodded. The doctor acknowledged it so began to speak. "How are you feeling?" Clara laughed slightly at the question. How did they think she felt? She was laying in a hospital bed practically unable to move, she didn't know how her baby was and her husband was dying in the other room. She was hardly going to feel fantastic was she?

"Aside from being blown up I've had better days." The doctor smiled at the sarcasm, obviously regretting asking.

"That is understandable... But on the plus side, I have got some good news for you." She looked up intently. "Your husband is out of theatre and is in recovery. He is still in a critical condition but he's making progress." A sigh of relief took over her as the words sank in. She couldn't be more grateful. "And as for you, you've been incredibly lucky. For something like this to happen to you so late on in pregnancy the outcomes weren't looking good but things have turned around. We were going to perform an emergency C-section for your and your baby's safety but you began to make progress so we refrained. Of course we will still monitor closely but things look okay." Clara smiled a little as she rubbed her stomach.

"What about my due date? Will it change or have complications?"

"Yes, it is likely that the baby will arrive early and when it happens we will have some of our best nurses on site in case of a problem. Also you may experience sharp pains or discomfort. Don't worry too much about these, it's just the baby settling. But if they start to happen more frequently then come and get checked out just to be on the safe side. And also, do the same if the baby stops moving as often." Clara sighed and readjusted herself on the bed.

"So what were all of the pains I was getting after the explosion? Shock?" The doctor nodded.

"Most likely yes, when you fell you moved the baby and things just got a bit uncomfortable. I have to say though, it's lucky that you got here when you did because if it had been any later things could have been very different... I heard that you saved the day?" Clara chuckled and smiled.

"I guess you could say so." The doctor smiled.

"Well good on you. Well done. I'll come back and see you in a few minutes." As she turned to go out of the room Clara stopped her.

"When can I see my husband? Is he okay?"

"He's still very unstable but you'll probably be able to go in there in about half an hour or so. He'll be unconscious but may wake up when he hears a familiar voice, it's always worth a try." Clara nodded and smiled.

A while later a doctor arrived with a wheelchair for Clara. He pushed her into ICU where he had a private ward. Her heart was beating faster and faster as they approached the door, she couldn't control her nerves. The doctor left her inside the door so that she could move to where she pleased. She had expected herself to move straight towards him and to start speaking to him in attempt to wake him but she didn't. It was like she was being pulled back, like an invisible force was holding back her words. For a good few minutes she just sat still looking at his still tear stained face. She closed her eyes for a second and was flooded by the memories. The sound of the explosion. The cries from around the school and the look on Danny's face when he saw her. It haunted her until she forced herself over to the bedside. She lifted herself on to the chair next to him slowly and held his hand protectively.

"Hey..." She paused to hold back the tears. Things were all too fresh in her mind, it was too much like déjà vu. "You know, I kinda assumed that I'd know what to say as we've been in this situation before, but I honestly don't. I guess I thought it would be the same and that I'd be okay but this time I just don't know... Things were so close today, I mean dangerously close. We could have died. You saved my life Danny, I can't even tell you how proud I am of you for that. But that better not mean that you have given your life for mine..." She stopped and thought about what she was saying. Was it really the time to be talking about death? Probably not. "Danny, you better wake up soon. I'm telling you now, you better. The girls need you more than anything, they need their daddy to grow up with. And..." The tears began to fall more heavily now. "And I need you, so so much. I don't think I could live without you. I need you now, more than anything else." He still laid motionless on the bed. She looked at his face and broke down. No more words would come out of her mouth. She couldn't hold in the tears anymore, all of the emotion from the day had hit her at once so she just sobbed into his arm. She cried like a baby until there were no more tears left to cry.

She whimpered quietly whilst kissing his hand when she suddenly felt his fingers move. She looked up in shock.

"Danny?!" His eyes flicked open and he breathed deeply.

"Clara..." She smiled at him sweetly through her tears. She placed her hand on his cheek and kissed his head.

"Shh, shh, it's okay. I'm going to go and get the doctor."

Once he was checked and examined they allowed Clara back in. She walked in cautiously and sat on the side of the bed. Danny smiled gently. She noticed that it wasn't his usual smile, it wasn't a happy one. It was sad, incredibly sad.

"Hey, you." He held her hand.

"Hey, another lucky day to add to our list eh?" She laughed a little at his comment despite the situation.

"Yeah, looks like it..." He didn't reply. She said nothing as she could tell he wanted to pour out all of his emotions. It was better to let him deal with it in his own time.

"I'm sorry." He said finally.

"What do you mean 'sorry'? What have you got to be sorry for?" A tear fell from his eye which she rubbed away gently.

"For not getting to you quicker, for not getting you out... I should have done. It was all my own stupid fault." She shook her head.

"Danny you saved my life! You saved some of the students lives! The rest was an unfortunate accident!" He shook his head.

"But I should have been more firm and taken you to the hospital when I suggested it. Then neither of us would be in this mess..."

"You weren't to know! Anything could have happened! If anything, I mean if that is what you are worried about, then I'm to blame. It was me who made the decision not to go and to plod along like my usual self without thinking about my own safety... Please, just listen to me. This is in no way your fault and you need to stop thinking that it is. Feeling guilty just prolongs the agony, we both know that. Just think about it, everyone's okay aren't they? No one died, I mean granted, were injured but we'll recover." He quickly looked up at her face and then down to her stomach. She knew immediately what he was thinking.

"The baby?!" She grabbed his hand again to calm him.

"It's fine, absolutely fine. The doctor called it a miracle, she said that we were lucky that things turned out so well. All that's changed is that I might get cramps every so often and the due date may be slightly earlier. Other than that, it's fine." He sighed and leaned his head back on the pillow.

"Okay." He went silent for a few minutes and started to relax with Clara gently stroking his arm but suddenly he sat back up again. "Oh god! I said that I'd pick up Ellie from school and take the girls to the park! I need to-" She stood up as quickly as she could to lay him back down.

"No, no, no, stay there, stay right where you are. I called my dad and he's picked them up and has taken them to his house. It's fine, the girls understood." He looked at her sadly.

"But I've let them down again, it's not okay. I keep doing it." She shook her head.

"You'll make it up to them like you always do, they love you. They get it. You're still there for them every single day without fail which they are 100% grateful for." He leant back and stared at the ceiling. Clara could tell there was still something bothering him, he hadn't quite relaxed. After a pause he spoke again.

"Like you said earlier, before I woke up... I guessed that I'd know what to do and that I'd understand how to get through this but being in this place again just brings it all back. All of the hurt, the tears and the worry. It makes me go mad. It's like a constant ringing sound in the back of my head that won't stop. I need to get home soon because I really don't know how long I'm going to be able to stand it for." She looked into his eyes and saw the pain. His words hit her hard making it difficult to hold back the tears. She didn't even have anything to say back to him this time, she had no more answers to give.

"I didn't know you could hear me." She spoke as though she was ashamed of what she had said. He moved his hand to stroke her hair back as he always did.

"Of course I could, I can always hear you. No matter how far away you are, I always hear you." She smiled at that. It was as though they had known each other for so long that they could almost predict what the other was thinking. It was a comforting feeling, knowing that someone understood.

"Well if it's any consolation, we feel the same way so we can help each other. We're going to do everything we can to get us home as quickly as possible but in the meantime we need to take your mind off being in this room." He smiled slightly which settled her worry a little. Danny used his arms to move himself, regrettably, over a bit leaving enough space for Clara to lay next to him. She laid next to him and kissed him on the head. He winced in pain a little bit but then relaxed back again. He looked down to her body and grinned.

"You look so hot in that hospital gown." She looked up to see him wink.

"Shut up, you!" She hit his chest playfully, making sure it was as gentle as possible. "I didn't get to choose the colour this time so it's ugly. Last time I matched it with my eye makeup." He laughed.

"Oh wow, makeup, makeup, makeup. You women are obsessed." She giggled.

"Well I've got to look good for my man haven't I?" He sighed and held her hand again.

"You're beautiful with and without makeup, either way I love you." She kissed him gently. She then paused to think.

"Eww this accident has made us all mushy, that was so cute but so cringey at the same time." He laughed.

"Yeah, in hind sight, it kinda was." They smiled and relaxed back into the pillows.

A while later Clara sat up a little and began to rub her stomach.

"Everything alright?" Danny said with concern.

"Yeah, this one has decided to have a wiggle again." He smiled and placed his hand on the top to feel the kicks.

"But I suppose that's a good thing. I think it's a happy baby."

"I think so too. But I still think I'm going to win the gender bet." He shook his head.

"No, no, no, no! It's gonna be a boy! I've got to win this time!" She laughed.

"Nope! It's gonna be a girl and you're never going to live it down!" He grinned and pulled her closer to his chest. They fully relaxed for the first time in the day. Knowing that they were going to be okay made everything seem alright.

"Should I ring my dad? And ask him to bring the girls in?" Danny nodded at the idea.

"Yeah! I could really do with seeing them to be honest. This place is getting rather boring." She smiled.

"Okay, I'll be back in a few minutes." She left the room allowing Danny to shut his eyes again. He still felt rather drowsy due to the anaesthetic but felt no pain as he was so drugged up that the injury was almost unnoticeable. In some ways it was good but he did kind of want to feel a bit more alive again. The drowsiness was frustrating.

Around twenty minutes later they heard a giggle from the corridor and a call from Dave telling them to watch where they were going. Clara got up and left the room for a second to speak to them before they saw Danny. He had fallen asleep so she got out reasonably easily. She saw them approach the corridor and run towards her when they caught sight. Just before they reached her she held out her hands to slow them down. She couldn't have them jumping on her right now.

"Woah, woah. Slow down." She crouched down slowly and winced slightly as she got to the floor. Dave saw so stepped forwards a little to aid her. She nodded to show that she was okay and began to speak to the girls. "Hi sweeties! Are you okay?" Lily nodded happily but Ellie looked at Clara closer as though she had seen through the front she was putting up to make them happy.

"What happened to your head mummy? And why did you look hurt when you bent down?" Clara sighed. How on earth was she going to explain this? The cut on her head and the pain she was in was blatantly obvious. She reached out and stroked Ellie's hair back.

"Well today there was a big accident at the school where me and daddy work so we got a little bit hurt. We're okay now but when you go and see daddy you need to be really good girls and be very gentle. He's very tired and has a very, very poorly leg so you need to stay away from that. And when you go in don't get scared by all of the big machines, they are just making sure that daddy is okay that's all. Nothing to worry about." They nodded and smiled. Clara looked to Dave for a help up so he gave her his hand. Once she was upright she learnt against him for a pause.

"Alright?" She smiled, kissed him on the cheek and breathed deeply.

"Yeah, it's been a tough day but were managing. Thank you so much for having the girls, I don't know what I'd do without you." He smiled.

"Any time, I'm always here you know that." She nodded.

"Can you wait here for one second while I go to wake up Danny?" Lily overheard the conversation so piped up.

"Wake him up? Why is he asleep? It's not night time yet!" Clara smiled and looked to Dave to explain.

Less than two minutes later Clara lead the girls inside the room. Danny slowly pulled himself upwards so that he could sit more comfortably. Lily walked to the bed and climbed up from the chair to perch next to him.

"Hello honey! Did you have a nice day at nursery?" She nodded and began to tell him all about it. Ellie stood hesitantly in the corner. Clara walked over and hugged her a little.

"Ellie? What's up Hun?" She shook her head and buried it in Clara's gown. She looked down to see a tear falling from her cheek. "Aww sweetie. It's okay! I know it looks big and scary but daddy is alright really, come and give him one of your special hugs?" She looked up at Clara with big wide eyes.

"But what if I hurt him?"

"You won't don't worry! It's perfectly safe, come and sit on the bed with Lily and you'll be fine. Daddy wants to see you!" She smiled, finally. "Come on then." Clara was about to lift her on to the bed when Dave stopped her.

"Woah stop there, I'll do that." Clara sighed and nodded. She then walked round to the other side of the bed to sit back down.

"What actually happened at the big school today?" Ellie asked inquisitively. Danny and Clara exchanged a look deciding who would explain first. They didn't quite know how to say things in a way that wouldn't upset her.

"There was an explosion which made the school break and fall down a little bit. Me and mummy got stuck inside and had to get out. I hurt my leg when the school fell a bit and mummy could have been badly hurt because of the baby. But it's okay now, we're okay. So don't worry yourself." Ellie nodded.

"So can you come home soon?" Now Danny paused realising that he didn't actually know the answer. Things had happened so quickly that he hadn't had time to ask.

"I don't know yet sweetie, but it won't be too long. So I'll be back with you very, very soon." She smiled and laid beside him, relaxing quite easily. They spent the rest of the afternoon chatting about their day and laughing away as usual.

Clara sat back and zoned out from the talking for a few minutes. It was only now that the events of the day were really settling in, not just physically but emotionally. They had been so, so happy that morning. Dancing and singing away in the car, entering the school with a spring in their step. How had things gone so wrong? They had nearly died... It was closer than they had ever been before. The thought of it scared her. The fact that if Danny hadn't have found her, that if he wouldn't have protected her when the building fell and that if she hadn't have managed to get outside they may not have been sat there with their children in their arms. She felt tears welling in her eyes as her mind pondered every possible scenario. Danny looked over and caught her eye. He mouthed to her, asking if she was okay. She nodded her head and sat up. She wiped her eyes and joined in with the conversation again. She didn't quite know how she felt or how she wanted to feel. One thing that she did know though was that she really wasn't okay. She felt herself wallow in her sadness with no escape...

**Thank you so so much for reading! Please leave a review if you enjoyed it!**

**Ps there may be a new arrival in the next chapter ;) **


	28. Chapter 28- Endless Pain

**Hey, here's the next chapter! It's very dramatic (again) so you've been warned ;) **

**Sorry in advance ;) x **

Endless pain

One long week had passed by in which time had just trickled along. Nothing had really happened. Or maybe it had and Clara had just not noticed it? She had been in a daze the whole week, only surfacing from bed to take the girls to school and back and to occasionally grab Danny something. He had come home two days after the accident, much to their surprise. Clara hadn't been told the full story from Danny so she was guessing he discharged himself rather than the hospital discharging him. Dave took him to appointments every so often but other than that Clara had heard nothing. It wasn't even that he hadn't told her, it was that she didn't really want to listen. Since everything had happened she had just felt so empty inside, like nothing was worth trying for anymore.

That morning Danny turned his head towards Clara to see her laying on her back staring at the ceiling. The fact that she wasn't asleep surprised him, she had slept so much lately it was becoming not just a habit but a routine.

"Clara?" She jumped slightly before turning to him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She smiled a little and shook her head.

"It's okay." She then looked back up at the ceiling again. He sighed. A tear fell down her cheek as she attempted to hold back the emotion. She had forgotten why she was crying, it just happened now almost like it was robotic.

"Come on, talk to me baby? Clara please." She paused to look at him for a second and then moved closer to him. She cuddled up as close to him as she could and sobbed into his chest. He stroked her hair back and quietly reassured her.

Once she had stopped crying she looked up at him to see that a few tears had escaped his eyes as well.

"I didn't mean to make you upset. I wasn't meant to block you out... It's just been so hard." She began to cry again so he kissed her head and pulled her into his chest.

"It's okay, it's okay. I forgive you." She looked back at him again.

"I know you do, you always do. I don't know if I forgive myself though." He frowned.

"You've got nothing to not forgive yourself for."

"But I have though." He shook his head whilst attempting to move so that he could see her face properly. He winced in pain as he moved his leg so Clara stopped him and moved to him instead.

"What have you done to make you regret things? Your reaction to all of this has been normal!" She shook her head.

"Well I wouldn't call it normal but that's not what I mean. I keep putting you all in danger and I don't know why. It's always me..."

"That's not your fault! We've just been given a mountain of bad luck to overcome." She paused.

"But it's every single time... It's my fault that we've argued so much over the Doctor, my fault that we have nearly died quite a few times now and my fault that... That our children aren't as happy as they should be. Danny, Ellie told me that we don't spend enough time together and that she's sad because we're never happy for more than a week before something else goes wrong... She's five, she shouldn't even have to think about things like that. That's all my fault... I can't forgive myself for any of that, not ever." He sighed. This had been the first time she had spoken to him about how she felt in weeks now. It was though it had been building up for months and the accident had lead everything to boil over.

"I know it seems like your fault and that things are really bad at the moment but we need to look on the bright side. I'll be honest, I don't really know what to say to make you feel like things aren't down to you as I'm not the greatest with sympathy but I do know how to stay positive. Think about it, last time things went wrong we managed to fix it didn't we? Look at how happy we were until last week. Things went back to normal, just how we like them. So we sure as hell can do that again. And soon we'll have another little Pink joining us which can only bring us closer. That's such a big thing to look forward to, eh?" She nodded into his chest. "So for now, as hard as it is, stay with me on the positivity idea. We will get things back on track, I promise you. Everything is going to be okay. But if things get to tough and you need to break down and cry or you just need a chat I'm here for you, always." She wiped her tears and looked into his eyes. He smiled back before kissing her on the head.

"Thank you Danny." She gave him one of her sweet smiles that he just couldn't resist.

"No problem, I love you so so much."

"I love you too." They kissed momentarily but stopped when Clara jerked back a little bit. She sat up slowly and placed her hand on the bottom of her stomach.

"Clara?" She started to breathe more deeply as she looked at him with panic in her eyes. "What's wrong? What's happening!?" He also sat up now, ignoring his own pain to see to Clara. She, however, said nothing until a few seconds later when she relaxed back a little bit.

"I got a really weird pain..." He looked at her with confusion.

"A sharp one? Like usual?" She shook her head.

"No, it felt different. It wasn't sharp but it was longer. But it didn't feel like a normal contraction either? It felt... Wrong." Danny leaned over and placed one hand on her stomach and one on her forehead as he always did when she said that she felt odd.

"Seriously wrong? Like hospital visit wrong?" She shook her head again.

"It felt very wrong but not like an emergency so I'll wait to see if I have another one, it could be nothing." He smiled for reassurance.

"Okay, but you tell me straight away, yes? And you take it really easy today. It's the due date tomorrow so it wouldn't be surprising if things start to happen today."

"Yeah, I will." She gave him a worried look. He stroked her stomach and kissed her head.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, don't worry about it. What ever it is we'll sort it. Everyone is going to be okay." She smiled a little and carefully moved herself back so that she could lean against the headboard. She sighed and looked down at her protruding stomach. Today was going to be a rough day, she could just feel it.

She strolled downstairs slowly after Danny making sure that he didn't fall backwards on his way down and was greeted by Ellie stood smiling happily. Clara smiled back and kissed her on the head.

"Alright smiley?" Ellie nodded excitedly. "What's got you in such a good mood this morning then?" She smiled again and took Clara's hand. She pulled her slowly towards the kitchen table and to the nearest chair.

"Sit down and close you eyes! No peeking!" Clara laughed a little as she followed the instructions. She heard a rustling sound and then a bang when what ever it was hit the table. "Okay, open your eyes." Clara did so to see a shoe box, which had been half wrapped in attempt to make it look nicer, on the table in front of her. She looked at Ellie who had the biggest smile on her face.

"Well what's this then!?" Ellie walked back round to Clara's side of the table and hugged her arm.

"Look and see mummy!" She slowly opened the box to see a note sat on the top. She opened it carefully to read the contents.

To the best mummy in the world,

I know you have been very sad lately

I don't really like it, it makes me sad too.

So I made this box to make you happy again,

It has all of the things that you like in it.

I made it all by myself, with a little help from grandad but I did most of it.

I hope you like it, I love you lots mummy

And I really want you to be smiley again

Love from Ellie xxxxxxxxx

A tear fell down Clara's cheek as she read through what Ellie had carefully written. Why had she let things get this far? She couldn't believe the impact her mood was having on Ellie. It had to stop now. She stared at the letter for a while before Ellie distracted her.

"Mummy? Don't you like it?" Clara turned to face her.

"Of course I do! I absolutely love it, and I love you so much too." She hugged her tightly and began to look through the contents. She moved some of the tissue paper from inside to see some of her favourite chocolate bars, some family photos that always made her smile and one of her childhood teddy bears. The box was filled to the brim with happy memories that flooded her with elation. She didn't know what to say. It was perfect.

"Come here." She ushered Ellie to come closer to her again. "I am so so sorry for how I've been lately. It's not fair on you at all, or on anyone for that matter. I know I keep saying this but I promise that I'll make things up... Look, I love you so much and you mean the absolute world to me so don't ever think that you don't." Ellie smiled a little.

"So you'll try to be happier again?" Clara wiped away her tears and nodded.

"Yeah, I will try my absolute hardest. I promise."

"Good because it makes me feel sad when you are sad because I can't make you happy." She sighed and leaned into Clara. She placed her arms around her and hugged her tightly. The tears started to fall again as hard as she tried to stop them.

"I know sweetie, and I'm so sorry for that. It's just that sometimes things happen that make adults very, very sad. Like when daddy got hurt again. It made me sad because I was worried about him and you and Lily and the new baby. Sometimes things get tough and we need to cry about it." Ellie nodded.

"So it's not bad to be upset?" Clara shook her head.

"No of course not! It shows that you care."

"And you care about all of us lots and lots so you are allowed to be upset?"

"Yeah, that's just how things happened in the end. But I was upset for too long so now I'm going to change that and be happy again." Ellie grinned.

"I know what will make you happy." Clara smiled and looked at her inquisitively.

"And what would that be then missus?"

"Watching a DVD with me, cuddled up on the sofa. Like we did last time when I was sad." Clara nodded.

"That sounds like a perfect idea. We can do that this afternoon if you'd like? Because Lily is at her friends house and daddy will go out for a bit to have a walk to stop his legs from getting all stiff." Ellie giggled and nodded.

"Yes please! It's all going to be okay mummy, don't worry." She leant forwards and hugged Clara again. Clara looked down at her. She was so clever, so perfect. How did she ever get so lucky. She honestly didn't know what she would do without her, her amazing little girl.

Later on Danny came into the kitchen to see Clara resting heavily on the worktop. She tried to hide the pain on her face as he entered to avoid any fuss. That was the last thing she needed. So, she stood back up straight to face him.

"Are you alright?" She nodded quickly and smiled unconvincingly. Danny sighed and sat on the seat by the breakfast bar to rest his leg. "Clara, tell me the truth." She looked at him knowingly. He could tell she was in pain, he knew her too well.

"Okay, well I'm not amazing if that's what you mean." Now he smiled, happy to hear the truth.

"More pain?" She nodded but stopped quickly as she leant over again. She began to sway side to side and breathe deeply. Danny got up and rubbed her back gently. "Does this feel more like contractions?"

"Yeah." She sighed a little in pain but ceased when she heard footsteps coming from the other room.

"Is mummy okay?" Ellie walked up to Danny and hid behind his leg slightly. He looked back to Clara who had stood back up and relaxed again before answering.

"Yeah mummy is okay, she's just in a bit of pain. We think that the baby be coming soon." Ellie's eyes lit up.

"Really!? Yay!" Clara smiled. At least Ellie was excited. At the moment her and Danny were too anxious to be excited, they just needed to know that everything was going to be okay. She stood back up and took a deep breath.

"It'll be a little while yet but it will be either today or tomorrow!" Ellie grinned. Clara began to walk to the living room. Danny hobbled along slowly behind her.

"What do you want to do then? Stay here and chill for a bit before things get going or head to the hospital now?" She sat down slowly on the sofa and looked over to him.

"We might as well wait to be honest, if we go too early they'll send us home and tell us to come back later anyway. It'll be busy with it being nearly Christmas." He nodded and stroked her arm reassuringly.

"Okay. We can watch a movie or something?" Ellie jumped up and nodded.

"YESS!" Clara laughed.

"Okay you choose one then." She ran off to the other room leaving Danny to sit back and relax on to the sofa. They sat quietly for a few minute when Danny suddenly sat forwards. Clara looked over in surprise.

"Danny? What's wrong?"

"No, no, nothing but I have my counselling thingy in a bit that I have been given by the hospital. I'm going to need to call in and tell them I can't go... Wait I don't know the number, I'll go and find it-" As he began to get up she stopped him.

"It's fine, sit back down! You can still go. Look, the contractions aren't going to get that bad in the half an hour you are out for. I'll ring you if I need you." He gave her a hesitant look.

"No I can't, I can't leave you when you're in labour!"

"It might not even be labour yet, it could just be cramps. You never know. You need to go to this session, you can't miss it. Anyway it's only around the corner isn't it?" He nodded.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah it's fine! Lily is out all day so it'll be chilled out here. I promise I'll ring you if anything happens. It shouldn't do but if it does you'll know straight away." He smiled.

"Okay then, I'll be as quick as I can."

Around an hour later he got up, kissed her on the lips and went to get his shoes on. Ellie looked up and watched him getting his coat on.

"Where's daddy going mummy?" Clara moved her on to the sofa next to her.

"He's just got to pop out for a little bit, he'll be back soon. We can carry on watching the movie together can't we!" She heard Danny pick up his keys and open the door. She called through to him.

"Oi you! What happened to no driving!?" He came back into the living room without his crutches as well.

"Oh I'll be fine!" She frowned.

"Just don't go hurting yourself any more than you already have. You really should listen to what the doctors said." He shrugged.

"What do they know, eh?" He winked at her making her laugh. "I love you... Wait, before I leave. You're 100% sure this is okay? I can still back out if you need me to?" She shook her head.

"Of course, go. I've only had two or three contractions since last time so I should be alright." She smiled and watched him limp back out of the room after him nodding at her in agreement. When they heard the door shut Ellie sat forwards to speak to Clara.

"Mummy, what if the baby comes while daddy is out!? I don't know how to make a baby be born." Clara smiled at Ellie's facial expression. She looked so disappointed.

"You are so much like your daddy, you. Little miss sensible. It'll be fine El, if anything does happen I'll ring daddy and he will come back. Don't worry!" She smiled and laid back to watch the TV. As Clara sat back she noticed that she didn't feel too good, something definitely wasn't right.

A few minutes later another sharp pain hit her. She attempted to resist it so not to disturb Ellie but it was too strong. Things had suddenly began to escalate rather quickly. She sat forwards a little and breathed deeply.

"Mummy are you okay?" She nodded and smiled, unconvincingly at that.

"Yeah, give me one minute." Ellie knelt down next to Clara with a worried look on her face. She groaned in pain again despite trying not to.

"Should I ring daddy?" Clara shook her head.

"No not yet sweetie. This will pass in a minute." She nodded and stayed sat down quietly. Eventually Clara sat back upright much to Ellie's delight. "Did that hurt lots mummy?"

"Yes, yes it did." She replied, half laughing. "I'm just going to pop to the loo, stay here yeah? Keep watching the film, it's getting to the good part!" Ellie smiled and nodded.

Clara stood up and entered the bathroom slowly. She looked at herself in the mirror from a second to think. She had suddenly started to feel a lot worse. That contraction was the worst she had had yet and she could feel another one coming along. She walked back towards the living room but stopped as she felt a huge pain hit her. Suddenly a gush of liquid fell from her and she leant against the wall for support. She attempted to breathe deeply to keep the pain in check but she couldn't calm herself down. She needed Danny.

Through her breaths she called Ellie.

"El!" She waited for her to appear in the hallway. "Can you grab the phone and ring daddy?" She nodded. "Quickly Ellie, please!" Realising that she had snapped slightly she called Ellie back to her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap. I just really need daddy here now." She nodded and dialled the number. Danny answered almost immediately.

"Hello!?"

"Hello daddy."

"Sweetie are you okay?"

"Yeah but mummy's not, she's hurting lots and lots. She needs you to come now, very very quickly." She looked over to Clara for reassurance of whether she had said the right thing but instead she saw some tears falling down her cheeks. "She's crying daddy, come quickly." Danny started to panic.

"Okay honey, well done, you're doing really well. Can you pass the phone to mummy?" She held it out for Clara to take.

"Daddy wants to speak to you mummy." She nodded before grabbing it and resting her head against the wall.

"Clara?"

"Danny come now please!"

"Okay, okay, I'm on my way. Has it got a lot worse?"

"Yeah, my water just broke and the contractions are really close. And something doesn't feel right."

"Okay hang on in there, I'll be there in ten minutes." She hung up and placed the phone back down.

She walked slowly into the living room where Ellie was sat quietly, obviously a little scared.

"It's okay sweetie. Daddy will be back in a second and it will all be okay." She smiled a little bit.

The next ten minutes felt like a year and the sound of his key in the door was a God send. He ran in and crouched down to see her face. His leg was giving him agony but he didn't care, Clara was the priority right now.

"Hey, hey, hey, I'm here now. It's okay." She looked up at him and relaxed slightly. Everything seemed better when Danny was around, she just felt so much safer.

"I think we should go to the hospital." They both laughed a little at her stating the obvious.

"I think that would be sensible! You said something feels wrong? What doesn't feel right?" Clara suddenly felt extremely dizzy but she tried to ignore it.

"I don't know, like I'm having contractions but my whole body feels odd, I can tell there's something wrong-" She stopped talking slowly and moved her hand to her head. "I feel... I don't feel too-"

"Clara? Clara!?" She slowly fell into him. He moved her back against the sofa and felt her head. "Clara!? Speak to me!" There was no response. "Oh god, errr, Ellie grab the phone quickly!" She jumped up and gave it to him.

"999, ambulance service please... My wife, she's in labour but she just passed out. Please come quickly!" He hung up and stroked her head gently.

"Come on Clara, please be okay. I need you to be okay." Ellie began to cry at the sight. So much had happened in such a short space of time, she didn't know how to comprehend it all.

The ambulance arrived soon after to which Danny went to open the door.

"Please! She's through there!" They ran in and checked her over. One of the men immediately looked at the other who ran to get a stretcher.

"What's going on!? What's wrong with her!?" The man stood up and took Danny to the side.

"Okay sir, don't panic, that's not going to help anyone. We don't know exactly what has caused this right now so we need to get her to hospital as quickly as possible to ensure the safety of your wife and your baby." He nodded without saying a word. "Are you coming in the ambulance with us?"

"Yes, and my daughter." The man nodded.

"Okay let's go then."

Clara was rushed off by half a dozen doctors as soon as they arrived leaving Danny and Ellie to be lead to a side room. When they were left alone, Danny sat down. He put his head in his hands and tears began to fall down his face. He didn't look up until he heard Ellie whimpering next to him. He took a deep breath and pulled her towards him into a hug.

"Shh, shh, it's okay. Daddy's here. It's all okay." She eventually looked up with tears flooding her eyes making them glisten under the lights.

"But is it going to be okay? Is mummy going to be okay? And the baby too?" Now Danny's eyes began to fill back up again. He didn't know how to answer her questions. In fact, they were the same questions that he was asking himself. All he could do was reassure Ellie and hope for the best.

"I don't know sweetie, I really don't know. But I do know that we need to hope that they will be okay. Mummy would want us to be happy wouldn't she?" Ellie nodded. "So we need to keep a smile on our faces, as hard as that is to do right now." She nestled her head back into his chest again.

"It scared me today daddy. I didn't know what to do." He kissed her head softly.

"I know it was, it scared me too. But you were amazing Ellie, I'm so so proud of you. You looked after mummy when I wasn't there, called me to come home and was a really good girl when the paramedics came. You did so well." She smiled a little.

"But I couldn't help mummy when she was hurting. She looked so sad." He sighed. She was so observant and understanding for her age.

"That's okay though, you weren't expected to know what to do. Having a baby hurts a lot and a lot of things can go wrong so you did your best by just being there to talk to her and make her smile." She nodded.

"Can we go and see her?" Danny shook his head.

"Not yet honey, we need to wait to see what the doctors say first." As he finished speaking the door opened making both of them jump up.

"Any news!?" The doctor nodded.

"Yes, sit back down though... Okay we think that this has happened due to the accident a few weeks ago but also because of a spot of bad luck, unfortunately. The placenta split inside her before the birth, which is very rare but does happen, meaning that she passed out and was in a lot more pain than she should have been at that moment in time. So we've taken her in for an emergency C-section to be on the safe side. We need to get the baby out as quickly as possible to ensure both of their safety." Danny stared at the wall trying to take in all of the information.

"But is my mummy okay?" The doctor looked down at Ellie and smiled.

"Yes sweetie, she should be okay. But you'll have to be very gentle because she's very poorly." Danny looked up.

"So she's okay!?" The doctor paused for a second to reconfigure her words so that things didn't sound to harsh. She then stood up and motioned for him to come to the side with her so that Ellie couldn't hear what was being said.

"I wouldn't say okay, I'm afraid... She's in a critical condition and will need to have a lot of treatment and a lot of recovery. It is likely that she will be in a coma when they bring her out from theatre. I'm not telling to you give up but I think it's best if you prepare yourself for the worst as things may become very unpredictable." Another tear fell from Danny's eye. He stared blankly at the wall unsure of how to act. It was possible that the bottom could drop from his world... How was he supposed to comprehend that? They were so happy. Now life didn't even seem worth living.

**Cliffhanger... *hides far away (once again)***

**I'm unsure whether to do a Christmas chapter yet as things aren't exactly in high spirits so leave that with me and you'll see what happens next chapter!;)**


	29. Chapter 29- A Miracle?

**Hey guys! Sorry I haven't gotten round to doing a Christmas chapter, I just felt like it doesn't really fit in with the situation that is going on at the moment. But anyway, I hope you enjoy thisssss x**

**Oh and HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you have a good one :) x**

A miracle?

Danny sat staring at the wall, emotionless. He couldn't even comprehend the information he had been given. It all seemed too drastic. It wasn't too long ago that Clara was sat happily watching TV with Ellie and now she was laying in a coma unable to move or breathe for herself. It didn't feel real. He didn't want it to be real. He was in such a daze that he hadn't even noticed Ellie calling him softly from next to him.

"Daddy? Daddy?" She eventually tugged on his jacket making him turn to face her. She paused for a second before speaking. She looked closely at his tear stained cheeks and his emotionally swollen eyes. It was as though she could read what he was feeling and could feel his pain too. "It's okay, I think that mummy will be fine. And the little baby too. Maybe she just needed a long sleep to make her feel better?" He smiled a little at her innocence.

"I don't think it's quite that simple honey." She shook her head.

"No, it is because it's like when I feel sick so I go and have a sleep and it goes away. Or when you have a headache so you fall asleep on me when we watch a movie and then you feel better. Maybe the baby wanted to come and see us sooner so it made mummy tired." He hugged her tightly and kissed her head.

"You know what, maybe you're right." She smiled. He stared at the wall again. He knew that what she had said was completely inaccurate but it didn't matter really. She was listening to what he had said earlier about being positive and it seemed to be working for her. That put his mind at rest a little bit, her being upset was one more thing to worry about.

"Should I use the pens to make a card for mummy?" Danny looked back at her.

"That's a brilliant idea. Remember to use her favourite colours!" She nodded. "Stay in here for a second yeah? I'm just going to call grandad." He walked out of the room and shut the door. He walked along the corridor, oblivious to what was around him. All he could think about was Clara. She had to be okay, he couldn't deal with her not being.

"Dave?"

"Yeah, oh hiya Danny. You don't sound too chirpy. What's up?" He sighed, he had forgotten that Dave was none the wiser about any of the day's events.

"Where to start."

"Something has happened hasn't it?"

"Yeah, and I don't know what to do. I can't-" He paused and took a deep breath. "Things aren't looking good at all. I've got Ellie here but Lily needs picking up from her friends house."

"That's fine, I can get her. But what's happened?" Danny suddenly realised that he had missed that bit.

"This morning Clara started having contractions and they carried on. But then I went out to my counselling session as she said that she felt okay but while I was gone Ellie called me and said that Clara wasn't too good... I got back and she was in a lot of pain. She was speaking to me and she just passed out." Dave gasped a little.

"Oh my god, is she alright!?" Danny paused.

"Not really no... They rushed her in for an emergency C-section but I haven't heard anything yet apart from being told to prepare for the worst. Dave, this is really bad... I don't know what to do."

"God, okay. I'll go and get Lily. Then I'll come to the hospital and take them both back to mine. I'll be half an hour."

"Okay, thank you." Danny hung up and sighed. The wait was getting unbearable now. He needed to know what was happening.

He walked up to the desk and rang the bell impatiently. Soon a small, round looking woman hobbled up to speak to him.

"Hello sir." Danny didn't let her finish what she was saying. He just needed answers.

"Is there any news about my wife? Mrs Pink?" She looked at her computer and then back to him again.

"No, I'm afraid not."

"Can someone go to find out then!? I've been waiting for so long, I need to know if she's okay!" He walked away from the desk slightly, getting more and more wound up.

"Calm down sir, I'll send someone to find out for you now. Just be patient."

"Be patient!? How can I be patient when my wife and my newborn child could die within minutes!?" The woman gave him a sympathetic look. It was as though she hadn't been fully informed on the situation and now that she knew that was happening she could be more forgiving.

"I understand but getting stressed isn't going to help you."

"I don't care about helping myself! I don't care about me! I want to know how my wife is! Please, I'm begging you. Please save her, please." His legs became weak and the tears began to fall down his cheeks. The doctor that he had been speaking to earlier rushed over to settle the panic. She sat him down and checked his leg over. Danny winced in pain through his tears which confirmed what the doctor needed to do next.

"Okay Danny calm down for me. Breathe. I'll go and find out if Clara is okay now for you. I'll tell you as soon as I know anything. Yes?" He nodded. "But right now we need to get you back in the side room and check out that leg of yours because it doesn't look like you've been allowing it to heal very well." He stood up along with the help from the doctor and limped to the room. He had become unaware of what he was doing now, he was too wound up. He was exhausted, in pain and in complete denial.

It wasn't until Dave arrived with Lily that he snapped out of his daze. He looked around to see Ellie running towards him. She had obviously been crying. He then looked down at his leg to see the doctor redressing it and checking he was okay. Dave hugged Ellie tightly and then looked at Danny. He sighed. He knew the pain, he felt it. He understood what it was like to see your wife go through hell. The doctor stood up and looked at Danny.

"Your leg is okay now. Just take it easy please. I'm going to go and see how your wife is doing now, okay?" He nodded dismissively. As she got to the door Dave stopped her.

"Hi, I'm Clara's dad. I know you're busy but would you be able to arrange for someone to look after these two for a little bit. I really need to talk to Danny and I don't think it's wise for them to hear." She nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I'll do that now. Follow me."

Dave returned and sat down next to Danny. He didn't look away from the wall. His tears had dried up now but he looked broken. Broken and beaten.

"You know, she will get through this. Clara's strong, she always has been." Danny shook his head.

"Will she though? With the amount we've been through I'm not hopeful." Dave got up and moved to the chair in front of him instead.

"Don't you dare go giving up on her. Because she wouldn't do that to you, you know that."

"But she's dying Dave! And I can't do a thing about it!" Now, much to Danny's surprise, Dave stood up. Tears built in his eyes and his heart began to beat faster.

"But she's not dead yet!" Danny moved back a little, not expecting the reaction that Dave was displaying. "She's not dead yet! That's what you have to focus on!" He sat back down and took a deep breath. "I can tell what you are thinking and feeling because of your eyes. I've seen that look before." Danny shook his head.

"No, this is new for me."

"No, on my face, not yours. When my Ellie was rushed into hospital I was told much the same as you. To prepare for the worst. I was a mess, in absolute pieces. But a friend of mine came along to visit me and something that he said sent sparks off in my head. He said 'nothing is over until you want it to be, if you want it to be then it's not worth having in the first place'. It made me consider what I was doing and how I could help Ellie. I know that I can't have helped her physically, much like you can't with Clara, but you can help her emotionally. I get that you are upset, tired, confused, angry... But you can't sit in here feeling sorry for yourself while she is in there with your unborn child fighting for her life." Danny sat back, letting what he and just heard sink in. Dave was right, so very right. What was he doing? Clara needed him and he needed to be there by her side to help her at what ever the cost. After a long pause he spoke.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I've been such an idiot." Dave smiled slightly.

"Ahh so what my mate said had the same affect on you as it did me then, eh?" Danny nodded.

"Yeah, he's right. But you did as well. Thank you, thank you for making me see sense. I'm wasting my time in here feeling sorry for myself, I need to help Clara. I can't lose her. So I'm not going to let it happen." Dave nodded. Just as Danny stood up the doctor entered the room again. Both of them jumped towards her.

"Any news?"

"How is she!?" They spoke almost instantaneously. The doctor sat down and placed her clipboard on her lap.

"It's a mixed verdict I'm afraid. Bad news or good news first?" Danny sighed.

"Good." She nodded.

"Okay, well your baby is alive and healthy. The C-section was successful which is definitely a good thing. He's in the maternity ward waiting to meet his dad and grandad so you can go down there when you like." Danny smiled a little.

"It's a boy... I've got a son." Dave patted him on the back.

"Congratulations." The happiness was short lived though as thoughts went back towards Clara.

"Wait, how is Clara? Is she okay!?" The doctor hesitated.

"The good side of the situation is that she's alive. She's fighting hard but she's alive."

"There's a but isn't there?" She nodded.

"She's lost a lot of blood and there were a few further complications in regards to the baby and the placenta etc. We think this is mainly to do with injuries from the accident that haven't shown up until now. The labour triggered them. She responded badly to the medication we gave her to ease the pain and had a reaction. It constricted her airways so we had to give her oxygen. There's now a sign of oxygen starvation in her brain meaning that she is in a worse state than we would have liked. Now she's sedated but in a coma." Danny's head met his hands. How could this be happening?

"When will she wake up?"

"It's impossible to predict. It could be hours, days, even weeks. But there's a cut off point." Both Dave and Danny's eyes shot up from the ground. "If she stops responding to the treatment and her improvement slows down she may get to a point at which we can't help her anymore so the machines will have to be turned off..." She saw the panic in their eyes so attempted to console them. "That is a worse case scenario though so try not to focus on that. You can go and see her but prepare yourself. She's not in the best state." She got up and began to walk out. "Oh but I'd recommend you go to meet your son first." They nodded.

"Thank you doctor." She nodded and left the room. Danny took a deep breath. It was a hell of a lot to take in.

"To put a positive spin on it, that could have gone worse." Danny nodded.

"Yeah, a lot worse. She's alive, that's all that's important right now."

"That's right... But right now I think you should go and see your little boy." Danny smiled a little. He felt guilty for being happy and excited while Clara was in such a state. He felt like he should be mourning for her and staying by her side to encourage her to get better as that is what he always promised to do. But then, on the other hand, he though about what Clara would want. She would want him to be happy and to meet their son with a smile on his face. She loved the kids so much so the least he could do was to give him a warm welcome into the world.

He walked down to the ward but paused when he got inside the door. He took a deep breath as he saw the cot with a tiny little boy laying inside. He walked forwards and a tear slipped from his eye. His little baby wriggled and whimpered as Danny picked him up carefully.

"Hello little one. Shh, shh, it's okay! Your daddy's here." Just at that moment his eyes lit up and he smiled up at Danny. Danny's heart melted. He was the most beautiful boy he had ever seen. For a moment, as he rocked him side to side, all of the pain and sadness and heartache he felt disappeared. A tear fell down his cheek in disbelief. How did he manage to become so lucky?

A few moments later Danny sat down on the chair next to him. His leg had began to throb and was sending shooting pains up and down his side. As he did so the little baby began to whimper.

"Shh shh it's okay. Things aren't going too well at the moment but I promise that we will make things work. I don't quite know how but it will happen eventually... But right now I'm going to tell you what is going on because I think that you should know. Daddy's leg is really sore and mummy is not very well at all. She's going to need all the help and support she can get and I don't know if I'm going to be able to give that to her... You see, I love her very very much. More than anything. So she has to get though this, because if she doesn't I'm not going to be able to cope. She has to meet you, our gorgeous little boy, and she help all of you grow up. She has so much more to see and do, so much more life to live... But your mummy has ten times the amount of willpower and courage than I will ever have so she will use that to get better. I know she will. But, along the way, she may need some help which we can give to her. We can give a much as she needs, can't we?" He looked down to see him nod his head slightly. Danny laughed at the coincidence. He paused from speaking, realising what he had been saying. Talking to an hour old baby wasn't going to solve any problems but it sure did help his determination. It have him chance to think through the next few weeks and gain a little more encouragement to push on through the day.

A few minutes later Dave walked in. He stopped and gasped at the sight of Danny holding his son.

"Oh Danny, he's perfect... Really, really perfect. Clara is going to be so so proud. Congratulations." Danny looked up momentarily and smiled.

"Thank you. He really is perfect... And you're right, Clara is going to be so happy. She better wake up soon because she needs to meet him. I can't wait until that moment. I honestly can't." Dave smiled, trying to keep positive.

"Why don't you give him to me and go along to see her?" He nodded and stood up slowly to stop him from waking up.

"Alright, I won't be too long."

"Take your time." Danny nodded and took a deep breath.

He got to the door and looked through the window. He then paused before pushing it open. He strolled slowly to her side and took a long look at her. He looked at her face, her arms, her legs. Everything. It was as though he was still trying to process what had happened. Every time he looked at her face he felt a wave of emotion hitting him. She was so lifeless. So pale and feeble. She still had tear stains down her cheeks and her hair was still done up in the same low ponytail. It had happened so quickly. Things were so raw in his memory that he kept replaying her screams in his head. Those screeches in pain that ended so badly. He tried to stop but it kept coming back. Eventually it got too much. He broke down on to the chair and sobbed. He curled his legs up to his chest and cried into his knees. He didn't know what to do anymore. So much had happened that he couldn't comprehend it. Everything had hit him, and just at the wrong time. The time when he needed to be strong he was weak. Weak and broken.

A few minutes later he sat back up and took a breath.

"Come on, pull yourself together." He whispered to himself. He stood up so that he could see her face. He then held her hand gently and kissed her head. "Clara? Clara honey. Please wake up..." He stopped, realising that pleading was going to get him anywhere. He started to speak softly to her instead. "Guess what? We have a son! And he's the most perfect thing I've ever seen. He looks so much like you. I haven't named him yet because I want you to help me with that. So we can do that soon... Oh and the girls are okay. They're a little shaken up but they're strong like their mummy. They miss you. We all do. We all need you back... So that we can go back to normal. Have our perfect little family back again, like it always used to be. Like how it was getting back to before the accident. If you can hear me, which I hope you can, please stay strong. Don't give up, ever. Not for one second. Use every ounce of energy you have to get better. If that's not enough then remember that you have a family waiting for you back here and a new little boy to meet. We all love you so much. Please wake up Clara." He kissed her head again and stood back. He then looked at the clock to notice that almost two hours had passed by. He had no idea where the time has gone but he knew that, as much as he wanted to, he couldn't stay with her. He needed to get Ellie and Lily home, along with their little brother.

He left the room and walked down the corridor. It wasn't long until he heard some commotion from around the corner. He then saw a nurse running after Lily who was sprinting to him.

"Lily wait, be careful!" The nurse called but was ignored. She ran into Danny's arms to which he swooped her up and held her tightly.

"Daddy where did you go? I missed you. Where's mummy? Where's baby?" She whimpered into his shoulder and cried out her words. The sound of pain in her voice tore his heart apart. Ellie then caught up and hugged his side.

"Come on, shh, shh, shh. Let's go and sit down." They headed for the chairs and sat down, Lily still clutching onto Danny's neck. He nodded at the nurse to let her know things were okay and began to talk. "Sorry I left you for so long. I had to sort some things out." Ellie interrupted.

"You've been crying lots haven't you. Your eyes are all red." Danny smiled a little.

"Yes I have, it's been a very bad day..." Now Lily perked up.

"Where's mummy and baby and grandad?" Danny took a deep breath.

"Mummy isn't very well, she's very poorly so you can't see her yet. Maybe in the next few days you can but not now... But as for baby, you two have got a little baby brother. Grandad is with him." They both smiled.

"Really!?" Lily exclaimed.

"Can we go to see him!?" Ellie asked.

"Yes we can, do you want to go to meet him now?" They nodded. "Okay then, come along." He held them hand in hand and walked back down the corridor.

They entered to see Dave smiling down at him. When the girls saw him they stopped running and paused, rather hesitant.

"Hey it's okay!" Danny held their hands again and took them over to Dave.

"Hello you two. Look at your little brother!" They both smiled and gasped.

"He's so tiny!"

"And squishy!" Lily giggled as she poked his cheek gently making him squirm in Dave's arms.

"Yes he is but don't poke him too much eh." Danny laughed a little. Ellie looked up at him and spoke.

"What's his name?"

"We don't know yet sweetie. I haven't named him because I want mummy to do it with me." She sighed.

"So she is going to wake up and be okay?" Danny knelt down next to her and spoke so that Lily couldn't hear.

"I'm going to talk to you as a big girl now because I think you're grown up enough to hear it. We don't know if she is going to wake up and be okay because she is really, really ill. But we have to stay positive and hope that she will be alright." A tear fell down her cheek.

"So... So my mummy might not come back?" She sobbed a little.

"Don't think about that now. She will be back and she will be fine. We've got to think about the good things. Yeah?" She nodded. "So be mummy's brave girl and just hope." She hugged him tightly.

"Okay daddy. I will."

Five days later

Danny strolled into the hospital. Baby in arms, bags under his eyes darker than the night sky. He walked aimlessly towards the room. He knew the way with his eyes shut now. Everything was too familiar. Each day he followed the same routine: wake up, take the girls to Dave's, go to the hospital, talk to Clara in the hope that she would open her eyes and then leave again with no luck. It was getting all too tedious now. He wanted to stay by her side forever but he knew that was not an option, he had kids to look after.

He sat down next to her and smiled a little. She still looked so peaceful, so heavenly. For a second he imagined that she was just asleep and would wake up as soon as he said he name.

"Clara." Nothing happened. The smile disappeared off his face and he sighed. He sat for a while, just talking to her about Dave and the girls and gently rocking the baby back to sleep but she still didn't move. In the end he prised his way away from her and left the room again. Another day wasted, he thought to himself.

Two days later 

Nothing.

Three days later

Nothing

One more day after that

"Clara, Clara baby. Wake up honey, please. Just open your eyes. Move your hand, anything. Please." It fell silent until he looked back up. Her eyelids flickered and her breathing became more heavy making him jump up from his seat. "Clara!? Clara!? It's me! Can you hear me!?" He stroked her head softly as he watched her open her eyes.

"Danny..." A tear fell down his cheek. She was alive.

**Thank you very very much for reading! Sorry this was so sad, it kinda just happens over time :( x**


	30. Chapter 30- Alive & Kicking

**Helloooo, so sorry this is late! I have had mock exams at school so haven't had much time to write. Hopefully the next chapter will be out quicker, I hope you enjoy! (It is beginning to get a little happier now, bare with me! (I lie, this whole chapter is basically Pink cuteness) x**

Alive and kicking

Danny's eyes widened.

"Clara! Clara!" She looked up at him with shock.

"Danny what's happening!? Where am I!?" He kissed her head and shushed her a little. He ran towards the door to get a doctors attention but she called him back.

"It'd okay, I'm not leaving you! I'm just getting a doctor." She went quiet but continued to panic. Danny could see the distress on her face. Suddenly three nurses ran in and checked her over. One of them sat her back and tried to check Clara's temperature but she pushed her away. She tried to sit up and began to call for Danny again.

"Mrs Pink, please stay calm. We need to check you over." She ignored her and called out again.

"Danny!" He rushed over and held her hand tightly.

"It's okay, it's okay. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. Just lay back down and let the nurses check you over." She nodded and laid back immediately. Seeing a familiar face calmed her down almost instantly.

A few minutes later the nurses brought the doctor in and they began discussing Clara's condition.

"What's the verdict? Is she okay?" Danny walked over to them slowly, anxious to hear the news. The doctor finished her conversation with the nurses and watched them leave the room. She then looked at Danny with a reassuring smile on her face.

"She's absolutely fine, better than we expected actually which is great news. She is obviously very vulnerable and will need lots of rest but she is okay. So don't worry. Just give us a call if anything happens." He sighed in relief.

"Thank you so much." She nodded and smiled before leaving the room.

When he sat back down Clara was just stirring from sleep. He held her hand again, looked at her face and smiled. He couldn't even explain how glad he was to see her alive and well.

"Danny." He looked up and moved to stand by her side.

"Hey you. How are you feeling?" She sighed.

"Achy, sore and extremely tired but okay. What about you? You look exhausted. Have you been sleeping?" Ah, there it was. Clara's protective side had come back. He smiled a little.

"Good, and no... Well not exactly. Things have been pretty draining these last few weeks." She frowned before turning on to her side. As she did so she winced in pain. She reached down to her stomach and her eyes opened wide with panic.

"Oh my god what happened!?" He moved closer and stroked her head to calm her down.

"Shh, shh. It's okay. But it's kind of complicated... Do you remember anything from the day you went into labour?" She paused to think.

"Umm... I remember you going out and then Ellie having to ring you. But it's pretty hazy- No, no wait? Did I pass out?" He nodded.

"Yeah, I came back and we were about to call the hospital but you fainted." She nodded slowly as though she was trying to remember how she felt at the time.

"And then what?" Danny looked down a little, not really wanting to relive it all.

"You were rushed into hospital and they took you in for an emergency C-section. Then something went wrong when they gave you the anaesthetic. You had a reaction to it or something so they had to sedate you further." She looked at him with shock. She had no idea that any of this had gone on.

"So how long have I been like this for?" He paused again. He knew the answer would upset her so he didn't really want to say it.

"They had to put you in a coma, for your safety... Clara you've been here for two weeks." She stared at his pained face with complete confusion.

"What? How has it been two weeks?! I was with you and Ellie five minutes ago!? Danny how has it been two weeks!?" Tears began to fall down her cheeks and she started to sob a little. He sat on the side of the bed and hugged her tightly.

"I know it's hard to understand, I know honey. But you're okay and safe now. I'm not leaving your side. It's alright, it's alright." She looked back up to him with even more shock.

"The baby!? Is it okay?" He leaned back a little and smiled. He wiped her tears and then spoke again.

"He's absolutely fine. And he's perfect, so so perfect." She smiled a little.

"He? It's a boy!?" He nodded.

"We've got a son Clara, we have a son." She kissed his cheek and hugged him again. She was speechless.

"I don't know what to say, oh my god. Is he here now? Did the hospital keep him here or did you take him home? Have you been looking after him?" Danny nodded.

"The day it all happened I went to see him and they let me bring him home the next day. I've got him here." He stood up and walked to the sofa in the edge of the room. There, the little boy lay fast asleep in his travel cot. Danny was amazed that he hadn't stirred with all of the commotion. He must have inherited his heavy sleeping gene and not Clara's 'not sleep at all' one. He picked him up gently and brought him over to Clara who was crying silently. She couldn't even tell what emotion she was feeling anymore. She was just so overwhelmed and relieved.

"Shh, shh." Danny rocked him backwards and forwards a little bit to settle his whimpering. "I think he can sense his mummy!" Clara laughed a little bit.

"Oh my gosh he's gorgeous... He's so so perfect." She rubbed her finger on his cheek gently and kissed his tiny head. Danny turned him round and held him out for Clara to take. She hesitated a little but soon sat up to take him into her arms.

"Hello little man! How are you!? Come and meet your mummy!" Danny watched them bond with each other immediately. Nothing could describe the happiness he was feeling. Everything has worked out alright, finally.

A while later, when he had fallen back to sleep, Clara sat and watched him in Danny's arms.

"What's his name?" Danny looked up and smiled.

"He hasn't got one yet."

"You didn't name him?!" Danny shook his head.

"No of course not! I couldn't do that without you!" She grinned.

"Well, I don't know why but I've always liked the name Noah." Danny paused and thought about it.

"Noah, Noah Pink... Yeah, I like that." They both smiled down to the little baby.

"Hello Noah." As she said if he smiled a little making them both laugh.

"I think he likes it." Danny nodded in agreement.

"I think he does. He's a very happy baby. He smiles all the time and he snuggled up towards Ellie when she held him the other day." Clara smiles but soon looked at Danny with concern.

"The girls. How are they?" Danny sighed.

"They're alright. They're coping. But this has been really hard on them, I mean really hard. Let's just say there's been many sleepless nights and a lot of crying but we've coped. They will be even better now that you are awake." She nodded a little, one of those half sort of nods. She didn't really know how to feel. She felt guilty for leaving them all of the pain and heartache but then she remembered that it wasn't her fault that things had turned out this way. She hadn't chosen to be stuck in a coma for two weeks, be unaware of the birth of her son, see her husband break down in front of her and scream in pain with her six year old daughter next to her. Danny looked a her and could see the upset she was in. This was bound to be tough on her. For a second he said nothing but then he thought it was best to.

"Don't blame yourself for any of this. It all happened so fast and no one would have wished it to happen to you. I know you feel like you've let us all down but, believe me, you haven't. We all love you so much, don't ever forget that." She smiled and laid back on the bed. She had huge bags under eyes and was struggling to stay awake. Danny wasn't surprised, she had just woken up from a coma. "You should get some rest, you look exhausted." She yawned and stroked his hand softly.

"I am... But don't stay here all night, please. You need some rest. I'll be okay, just come back in the morning?" He smiled.

"As you wish." He stood up and kissed her softly. "I love you Clara. I love you so much. Sleep well." She smiled at both of them leaving through the door. As soon as it shut she felt herself falling to sleep. Exhausted was an understatement.

Danny arrived home and collapsed down on the sofa. Dave and the girls looked up and saw the happy smile on his face. Dave stood up awaiting news.

"Judging by your facial expression, I guess we have some good news?" Danny nodded.

"She's awake. She's okay." Dave could hear the disbelief in his voice.

"Oh my god that's amazing news." He couldn't think of much else to say. He was just so glad. Ellie stood up and went to hug Danny. He rested his head on hers and smiled.

"Can we see her tomorrow?"

"Would you like to?" She nodded.

"Yes please!" Danny laughed.

"Okay, yes you can. After school you can come straight to the hospital and see her." Ellie grinned.

"Good, I've missed her lots." Dave and Danny looked at each other, trying to contain their emotions. The only word Danny could think of to explain how he felt at that moment was elation. Complete and utter elation.

The next morning Danny rose with a spring in his step. The school run was full of laughter and everything was going smoothly for the first time in weeks. When he got to the hospital he smiled at the nurses and even took a moment to look at his surroundings. Everything seemed so much more worthwhile now that he knew Clara was okay. When he entered the room Clara was fast asleep. He sat down next to her quietly and picked up Noah from his travel cot. He wriggled a little and began to wake up from his nap.

"Shh, shh. Mummy's sleeping." Oblivious to his surroundings, obviously, Noah began to cry. Danny rocked him side to side in attempt to silence him as quickly as possible but he was having no success. He didn't notice that Clara had woken and was watching them both lovingly.

"You two look so cute right now." He looked up suddenly and smiled.

"We try our best! Don't we buddy!?" Danny picked him up and held him so that his head was looking over his shoulder allowing him to pat his back gently. "Sorry, we didn't mean to wake you." She smiled and sat up slowly, still in a reasonable amount of pain.

"That's okay, I've slept for 15 hours straight so I think I'm alright."

"Are you feeling any better then?" She nodded.

"Yeah, I am actually. I mean, I'm still tired and sore but yeah, I feel better today." Danny couldn't contain his happiness so let out a huge smile. Clara laughed a little. "What?" He shook his head and looked back at Noah who had started to suck on his shoulder a little bit. "Come on, tell me!" He shrugged.

"It's just you, you're so beautiful." She laughed.

"What, even like this? With bags under my eyes, greasy hair and a fashionable hospital gown on?!" He laughed and nodded.

"Yes, even now. I just love you so much, and I don't ever want to lose you." He held her hand and grinned. She paused and replayed the last part in her head.

"Danny..." He looked back up at her. "What was it like when I was... You know." Now he stopped smiling and sighed a little.

"Do you really want to know?" She nodded.

"Yeah, I want to help you through this as much as you're going to help me."

"Okay... Well, it was horrible. Really horrible. There were times, I'm not going to lie, that I thought I wasn't going to get you back, that it was over and that I was never going to see you alive again. That hurt, that really hurt so it was tough." He hadn't realised that he had been staring at the wall without moving the whole time he was speaking. That was the only way to get his words out. It was too painful to focus on. He looked back up at Clara and saw her eyes glistening with tears.

"Did you come to see me everyday?" He nodded.

"Yeah of course, I had to be here in case anything changed! Anyway, it was better than being at home, doing nothing made me think about you more... I came in and sat down in this chair and talked to you for two hours or so. Then I went and got a coffee. And then I sat here for another hour. There was no change so I left... That's what I did for almost 15 days. On the 15th you woke up and the light came back into my life." Tears had now began to fall down her cheeks so Danny put Noah down and sat on the side of the bed. She leant her head on to his shoulder. He rubbed her arm and kissed her head.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... I know it's not my fault and all that but I can't help but feel bad." He sighed.

"I know, and I get that. But it's okay to feel sad and guilty and confused. It's alright. We can sort it, we can get through it together." She smiled and kissed him softly. "I said the girls could come and see you after school today, is that okay? Do you feel up to it?" She smiled up at him with surprise.

"Yeah! That will be nice, I can't wait to see them!" Danny kissed her head.

"Good, I'd hoped that you would say that. Your dad is going to bring them so I can stay with you all day, no interruptions." She sighed and leant back down on to his chest.

"That sounds good, I've missed having 'us' time."

"So have I." They snuggled into each other and watched Noah sleep quietly. He really was perfect.

Danny nudged Clara gently when he heard Ellie and Lily's voices coming towards the room. Clara sat up and smiled watching them walk into the room with huge smiles on their faces.

"Mummyyyyyy!" Lily shouted as she jumped up on to the bed. Clara hugged her tightly whilst moving her away from her stomach area.

"Hello monkey! Are you okay!?" She nodded and smiled before telling Clara about her day and what they had been doing in the past two weeks like nothing had happened at all. Oh to be young. Ellie didn't have the same reaction, however. Danny hugged her and brought her over to the chair. He kissed her head.

"It's alright honey." She smiled a little and leant against his chest. Danny rubbed her arm reassuringly as him and Clara exchanged a look. After a few minutes Dave picked up Lily and took her out of the room, Danny soon started to follow. "Go on, go and talk to your mum." She smiled and looked up to Clara. He picked up Noah and left the room. Clara held out her arms and smiled understandingly. Ellie hesitated but soon jumped up to hug her tightly.

"I missed you mummy." She snuggled into Clara's chest allowing her to kiss her head.

"I missed you too sweetie. It's been a very bad few weeks hasn't it?" Ellie looked up and nodded. A tear fell down her cheek which she tried to hide but of course, Clara noticed. "Hey, hey, it's okay. It's alright to be upset. It hasn't been easy. But you've been such a brave girl, so grown up. I'm so, so proud of you." Ellie began to cry a little more.

"The other day when it happened... I was really scared, I didn't like it mummy." She whimpered into Clara's chest making her heart break a little.

"Shh, shh, I know honey, I know. And I'm sorry that it happened like that. You didn't need to see that, you shouldn't have had to deal with it but things just went really wrong. You were such a good girl, you did so so well." She shook her head.

"But I couldn't help you, you were still hurt." Clara tried to stop a tear falling from her eye as well but failed. The pain in Ellie's voice really dug deep.

"No you did help! You helped a lot! You called daddy and you sat with me when we were waiting for him, that was all you could have done... Sometimes pain can't be stopped, it just has to be dealt with and, and that was what happened on that day. You were such a brave girl and me and daddy are so proud of you. Maybe you didn't take the pain away but that doesn't matter because no one could do that. What does matter is that you were there being a really grown up girl and you held mummy's hand when she needed it." Ellie looked up. Clara wiped her eyes and held her face within her palms before kissing her forehead.

"Are you sure mummy?" Clara nodded.

"I'm absolutely sure, you were amazing. My big, brave girl. I love you and I've missed you very, very much." Ellie smiled.

"Does it still hurt now? Or is it okay because the baby has come out?"

"It still hurts a little bit but nowhere near as much so I'm okay now."

"Good, I'm happy about that. When you were sleeping and wouldn't wake up daddy told me that I needed to be mega brave to help him and Lily and grandad because they were all sad so I was. Then I told daddy that you just needed some sleep to make you better and then you would wake up. I think it worked." Clara smiled.

"I think it did. You know what, there's something my mummy told me when I was your age that I think I should tell you. She said that the best people in the world are the ones who help others and are always looking on the bright side. I think you've definitely done that. You've made me and your grandma very, very proud." Ellie sat back a little bit and grinned, seeming to be content with the fact that she had helped the situation. Clara could tell how much more relaxed she was now that she knew she had done okay. Clara wondered if she had been waiting to ask those questions for the whole two weeks. Either way she wasn't going to ask. There was no need to. "So what do you think of your new baby brother then?" Ellie's head shot up and she grinned happily.

"I love him! He's so cute and small! And I like his name too, it suits him." Clara moved her hand to stroke her hair. She looked so lovely when she talked about something she loved, it was like her words shone out of her like beams of sunshine. Her eyes brightened and the dimples in her cheeks appeared. It was one of the things that made Clara happiest in the world. "Yesterday morning dad was holding him and kissing his face and he started to wiggle and laugh, it was really funny. His cheeks went-" She made a funny noise and used her fingers to stretch her cheeks around. Clara laughed.

"You look like a chipmunk!" Ellie laughed and moved closer to her. She knelt in front of Clara where Clara held her upright to stop her from falling. She did the same to her cheeks as she had to her own making them both laugh.

"Now you look like a chipmunk too!" They giggled before Clara started to tickle Ellie. She wriggled on the bed happily. "No mummy! Mummy stop!" Clara laughed.

"The tickle monster has control of my hands! It won't let me stop!" Ellie rolled around some more as Clara continued to tickle her.

"Ahhhh oh no! Not the tickle monster!" They laughed happily together for another good fifteen minutes. It reminded Clara of how much she had missed her and of what she could have lost. She never wanted to be away from her little girl ever again and she was determined to make sure that she didn't have to be.

Dave took the kids home a little later for their dinner leaving Clara and Danny alone. The doctor walked in to check her over but seemed to be happy with the progress.

"How is she?" Danny asked intently.

"She's, well you, I can speak to you now rather than informing your husband which is fantastic news." They all laughed. "You are doing extremely well, I think we will keep you in for another few days but after that you can go home. Obviously you'll need to take it easy and get a lot of sleep but there shouldn't be any significant pain or anything. So I'm happy with your progress." Clara and Danny smiled a thank you to her but she stopped just as she was about to leave the room. "Before I go, I just wanted to say how lovely your children are. They are a credit to you, they really are so kind and polite. A few of the other nurses asked me to pass on the message as well so congratulations." They both smiled widely.

"Thank you so much, that's so kind of you. I'm glad you think so." Clara said. The doctor smiled.

"No problem, and also, they are lucky to have a mum as brave and determined as you too. Sometimes in the heat of things that is easy to forget, I know I do all the time. So make sure that you know it. You deserve some credit." She smiled and left the room. Clara stayed smiling at the door for a second letting it all sink in. She turned to face Danny a second after when he spoke.

"See, I'm not the only one to think that." She rolled her eye and sighed.

"I know, I suppose I should give myself some credit, it's just sometimes easier said than done." Danny smiled and moved to lay on the bed beside her. He stroked her hair out of the way and kissed her head.

"It is indeed, but at least you know that others feel the same. That's gotta help right?" She nodded. He started to speak again but she stopped him by kissing him deeply. He returned it and then smiled. "Wow, where did that come from?! I mean I'm not complaining or anything." He winked making her laugh a little.

"I don't know, I guess I've just missed you way too much these last few weeks." He sighed and kissed her a little again.

"I've missed you too, so so much." She smiled and kissed his nose repeatedly to which he moved his head upwards to reach her lips. It wasn't passionate but it was filled with love.

"I'm going to do everything in my power to never, ever leave you again. I'm always going to be here, forever."

"How about I double that promise? I also promise never to leave you or our beautiful children ever again." She nodded and kissed him again.

"Okay, deal."

**Yay happiness! Let's hope it stays ;) x**


	31. Chapter 31- Home Sweet Home?

**Hola! Here it is, I hope you enjoy it!x**

Home sweet home?

Clara stirred awake to the sound of Danny singing gently to a very grizzly Noah in his arms. She smiled up at him before sitting up and kissing his arm.

"He's a bit grumpy this morning, aren't you!" Danny smiled and rocked him a little more.

"Poor thing, maybe he just needs a little more sleep." He nodded and smiled. He then sat down on the bed and kissed her head. "Today's the day!" She grinned widely.

"I know! I can't wait to be home, I need my own space back. And my bed. I really miss our bed." They laughed.

"Well, there's not long to wait now." Clara smiled.

The doctor entered the room to discharge her formally which was a god send for Clara. She was itching to leave.

"Morning, you all ready to go?" Clara nodded. "Great, I don't blame you! Now, as I was saying a few days ago, there shouldn't be any serious pain. If there is, come straight back in to check that things are okay. Also make sure you don't do anything that will stretch your abdomen as that still needs to heal. And finally, make sure you get plenty of rest. That will aid your recovery for sure." Clara smiled widely.

"Thank you so much." The doctor smiled as she grabbed her clipboard from the end of the bed. Danny moved towards her a little bit.

"Yeah, thank you so much. You've been so, so good to us and I can't thank you enough for that. We're so grateful. Also, sorry for having to put up with my anger and frustration, I didn't mean to make a scene." She laughed a little.

"You're very welcome, it was a pleasure. And as for the frustration, don't worry about it at all. That all comes within my job. Good luck with the recovery." She smiled and left the room. Clara waited until the door has shut properly and then stood up.

"Can we go now!?" Danny laughed.

"Yes we can, let's get out of this horrible place." She grinned and hugged him tightly. She then picked up her bag and Danny picked up the travel cot. They left the room hand in hand.

Clara was sat on the sofa with Noah when she heard a loud knock on the door.

"I'll get it." Danny called from the kitchen. Ellie and Lily ran into the house still telling Dave all of their stories from the day. When they saw Clara sat down they both ran to her.

"Mummy's home!" They both hugged her gently and kissed Noah on the head. Clara smiled but then looked confused when she noticed that both girls were extremely out of breath.

"Hello monkeys! What's gotten you so tired!?" They laughed.

"We had a race home but I won, of course." Ellie said confidently. Lily crossed her arms and sighed.

"Well it's not very fair because you are bigger than me." Clara laughed.

"Just wait until you grow a bit more, then you'll be able to beat her." Lily smiled.

"Yeah!" Ellie scoffed.

"Haha as if! You'll never beat me!" They all laughed before sitting down either side of Clara.

"Are you home forever now?" Lily asked.

"Yes I am, for ever and ever." Everyone smiled, including Noah. "I think Noah is happy with that too!" Ellie moved his hat up a little bit so that she could kiss his forehead.

"He's so cute." Clara nodded.

"He is indeed. So very cute."

"Can I hold him?"

"Yeah of course you can!" She moved forwards carefully so not to stir him too much and knelt down in front of her.

"Remember what we've said. Sit up straight and hold his head up." She nodded so Clara passed him to her gently. As Ellie adjusted her hand on his head he started to whimper. Just as he started to cry Clara leant in to help her but she stopped when she saw Ellie rocking him back to sleep.

"Shh, shh Noah. Don't cry. Your big sister Ellie is here so you are safe. Don't cry." She kissed his head again and he settled down. Clara watched on in contentment. It filled her with joy to see how good they both were at being big sisters. Noah was a very lucky boy. It was times like that that made her feel most grateful for what she had. Her children really were amazing and she couldn't ask for anything more.

At 2 A.M on the dot there was a cry from the cot next to the bed. Clara groaned and started to roll over before Danny stopped her.

"No it's okay, I'll get him." She smiled and snuggled back up for a second. She watched him walk over, pick him up and then return back to bed. He rocked him gently and kissed his head. Clara then rolled over and flicked on the light which managed to blind them both a little bit. Danny laughed as he passed Noah over to Clara who was busy working on keeping her eyes open. She began to feed him and he went almost silent immediately.

"Crikey, someones hungry!" Danny laughed.

"He's a man! Men are always hungry." Clara rolled her eyes.

"Great, that's more food shopping for me then!" Danny laughed. After a pause, Clara sighed and yawned. "Oh my goodness it's so early. I'd forgotten what it's like to feed a baby in the middle of the night." Danny sat up and kissed her softly.

"Yeah, I suppose that is the downside." She smiled.

"But, on the other hand, I don't think I'd change it for the world. He's so cute. I love having children this age. I don't want them to grow up Danny." She made a sad face and rested her head gently on his shoulder making sure that she didn't move Noah.

"Me too, it's so much more fun when they're little. Ellie's getting so grown up now. My first little princess is getting so big." Clara sighed.

"I know, when she was talking about her school day to me earlier she sounded so grown up, she's lost her baby voice."

"At least we've got a reasonable amount of time now. They're not grown up yet." They smiled at each other but then looked down when Noah moved in her arms and stared up at them. Danny stroked his head making his eyes widen. He looked up, terrified. They both laughed.

"He looks so scared." Danny nodded.

"Haha it's okay buddy! No need to look so terrified!" He then looked away and started to hiccup. "Oh god, not these again. I know they shouldn't but they make me laugh so much. His whole body shakes and then he looks terrified after." Clara giggled as she held him up to wind him.

"Bless him, at least he doesn't do that thing after I feed him where he tries to roll away out of my arms like Lily did." Danny laughed.

"She couldn't wait to get away! And she hasn't stopped moving since."

"True, she's a right little groover. I don't think he's going to be though." Danny shook his head.

"No, I think he's going to be quiet and very intelligent. Like you." She laughed.

"Umm I think you are more intelligent than me... Mr Maths." He grinned.

"Yeah but I can't spell can I." She laughed again.

"God yeah, you can't spell to save your life. Thank goodness the kids can go to you for maths and me for English because the other way round would be terrible." Before he could speak again Noah nodded off to sleep in Clara's arms. She smiled and put him back in his cot gently. Danny watched her closely with that special look he only held for her. A mixture of love, admiration and happiness. When she turned round she caught him and smiled.

"Oi you, eyes off." She winked at him making him smile.

"I can't help it, you're beautiful." She grinned and laid back down as she did.

"You, mister, are too kind." He kissed her head and stroked her hair back. She moved forwards but winced slightly. His smile turned into a frown as he sat up a little bit with concern.

"Okay?" She nodded, took a deep breath and relaxed back into the pillow.

"Yeah, just knocked my stomach again." He frowned again making her sigh. "I'm fine, I promise. Don't worry, just get back to being cute again because I was enjoying that." After a pause he laid back down and kissed her head.

"Okay then." He kissed her deeply, enough to make her shut her eyes momentarily. They pulled apart for a second but then she kissed him again. He rolled over towards her and smiled.

"We really should get some more sleep you know but I don't really want to." He nodded in agreement.

"True but I can think of something much more exciting to do." He smirked at her making her grin widely.

The next morning Noah woke at 6:30 to which Clara groaned. It had been less than 3 hours since the last time and she was completely exhausted. That was partly her and Danny's fault but that was besides the point. She picked him up and rocked him gently. Surprisingly he settled down again. She heard Danny sit up and yawn as the bedroom door opened. Lily came running in with her normal bed hair and twisted round pyjamas on making them laugh a little bit.

"Hello monkey, you okay?" She nodded but didn't speak. She just walked over and got into the bed with Danny. Less than a few minutes later she was asleep again. "If only to be a four year old again." Danny said as he stroked her hair and smiled down at her. Clara just smiled back. She sat back in bed with Noah and watched him stare up into her eyes. His were the most perfect hazel brown colour that drew you in the second you met with them. He's going to be a right little heartthrob, Clara thought to herself. It made her laugh a little bit to imagine him as a teenager. It was all so far away that it seemed impossible.

When he began to cry again she took him downstairs so not to disturb Danny and Lily who were happily asleep. She glanced at them as she walked out. Danny's arm was draped over her stomach and her leg was sticking out of the bed. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Shh, shh buddy." She spoke softly as she sat down on the sofa and began to feed him. She had expected herself to be falling asleep but, by surprise, she wasn't. She supposed that she had forgotten how much she enjoyed the peacefulness of the mornings. She didn't really get those in hospital. There was too much hustle and bustle. The sound of footsteps broke through her thoughts making her look towards the door. Ellie appeared and sat down next to Clara looking completely disorientated. She looked around blankly making Clara laugh.

"Ellie honey? Are you alright?" She yawned and sat back a little bit.

"What time is it?" Clara looked over at the clock realising that she had no idea herself.

"It's 7 'o' clock." She looked at her even more confused.

"In the morning or at night?" Clara laughed.

"It's the morning sweetie. You've been asleep all night." She leant her head against Clara's shoulder and sighed.

"Phew, that's good." Clara looked down with confusion.

"Why is that good?" She looked up with a worried look on her face making Clara grow a bit more concerned.

"I don't like the night time, it scares me." Clara turned slightly so that she could talk to her properly.

"What scares you darling?" She cuddled up to her mum.

"The dark. When I'm in the dark it makes me think of things that I don't like. I try to make them go away but they don't."

"What sort of things?" She started to hold on to Clara's arm a little tighter.

"When you were hurt and when daddy was sad. I didn't tell him I was scared because I didn't want to make him more worried." Clara sighed. She had wondered when this would come up. Danny had said about nightmares and how it had hit the girls hard.

"Ellie, you know that you can tell your daddy anything right? I know he was worried and sad but you still could have told him." She nodded but went a little bit quiet. "Did you have a nightmare last night?" She nodded slowly, Clara could see the terror in her eyes. Maybe this was worse than she thought.

"Yeah, the same dream keeps coming back. You don't wake up ever again so we all go to the hospital to say goodbye. Daddy tries not to look to sad but he starts to cry lots and lots. So does grandad and great grandma... Then I have to explain it to Lily because she doesn't understand and then she cries. But Noah is crying too so I have to help him. But then a scary man comes in the room and tries to take Noah and-" Clara stopped her as Ellie had started to cry. She was getting herself in a state. No one wanted that.

"Sweetie, you know that's not real don't you! We're all here, we're all safe." She cried into Clara's stomach.

"But it's scary mummy, I want it to go away. I don't like it." Clara's heart broke a little bit. How had they missed this? It had obviously been going on for a long while now and was making her so upset.

"I know, I know. It's okay. How many times have you had the dream?" She looked up a little bit.

"I don't know but it happened all last week." Something clicked in Clara's head. It made sense why she had seemed so tired and quiet.

"And who's the man sweetie? Is he someone you know? Do you recognise him?" She paused and then nodded.

"I don't know him but I've seen him." Clara frowned.

"Where have you seen him Ellie?"

"At the hospital. The day when you fainted. Grandad came in with Lily and he told a nurse to take us away for a little bit so that him and daddy could have a talk about everything. But when we were playing a man came into the doors from the outside and started shouting. The doctors ran to him to calm him down but he ran over even closer to us. I looked at him and he had scary eyes. I can't remember what he said but it was scary because he was shouting." Clara paused to take it all in.

"So he didn't say anything or do anything to you? He just walked in?" Clara hadn't realised that she had become more assertive. Ellie sat up with surprise.

"No he just walked in. Why? Am I in trouble mummy?" Clara quickly shook her head and pulled her back into a hug.

"No no! You're not in trouble! I'm just making sure and trying to make sense of it in my head." Now she relaxed after being tense for the last 20 minutes. "Look at me Ellie." She waited until she had her full attention. "I know the dream is really, really scary but you have to try to tell yourself that it's not real. Because it's not is it?" She shook her head. "Good girl. You know that we're here for you and that you don't need to be scared. I'm okay and I'm not going anywhere. Daddy and grandad are okay as well. And so are Lily and Noah." Ellie looked down at Noah who was sleeping soundly in Clara's arms. "That man-" She stopped as she saw Ellie panic at the mention of him. "He's not going to come anywhere near you. He's nowhere to be seen. He doesn't know where you live and has no way of finding you. So you have to be brave and tell yourself that he's never, ever coming back. You'll never see him again." She nodded. "We'll help you Ellie. It's okay to be scared. You can come into our room whenever you like and all you need to do to get our attention is call. So don't be scared, yeah?" She nodded and hugged Clara tightly.

"I love you mummy."

"I love you too Ellie. Never, ever forget that." The silence gave Clara chance to think. She couldn't help feeling as though she had betrayed Ellie. That she had met her down. No six year old should have to be so scared, surely?

Danny got up a few hours later and was surprised to see Ellie sat downstairs with Clara. She usually came into their room before going down.

"Morning you two." Clara looked up and half smiled as she continued to stroke Ellie's head. Danny frowned a little bit realising that something was up. He mouthed to Clara so that Ellie couldn't hear. "Is she okay?" Clara nodded.

"I'll explain later." Danny smiled in agreement and went to sit down next to them. He kissed Ellie on the head.

"Morning monkey." She smiled.

"Morning daddy. She hugged him as she always did in the morning but today's was slightly tighter. Slightly more tense. Danny noticed but said nothing. Instead he kissed her head and stroked her arm as that always seemed to calm her.

"Hey, do you know what we could do today since its sunny?" She looked up and shook her head.

"No, what?!"

"We can take Noah on his first trip to the big park up the road." A wide smile appeared on her face making Clara relax a little bit. Maybe all she needed was a distraction.

"Yeah! Can we!?" Danny nodded. "Can mummy come too!?" Clara smiled.

"I can but you'll have to walk slowly like a granny because I can't keep up otherwise!" Ellie laughed.

"Okay grandma!" She laughed again and Clara tickled her a little.

"Oi!" They all grinned.

"Come on! Let's goooo!" Lily stood at the door with her hat and gloves on waiting very impatiently for the others to be ready.

"Hang on missus!" Danny laughed. Clara grabbed everything she needed for Noah including an extra blanket to keep him warm and Ellie finished putting her shoes on. Eventually they got out of the door. Lily took her scooter so was way ahead leaving Ellie to run after her to keep up. That gave Clara and Danny chance to speak without any interruption which seemed to be a rare occasion of late.

"So what happened with Ellie? Is she alright?" Clara sighed. She gave Danny the buggy to give herself a rest before speaking. She was still struggling to move very far which was becoming quite an aggravation.

"She's having bad nightmares. She came down after waking up to tell me about them. She's terrified Danny." He looked ahead at the two girls running, scooting and laughing.

"I thought so." She held his hand.

"You knew already? Or you guessed?"

"She came into me a few times over the last week so I knew she was having some trouble sleeping but I didn't know it was still happening." He spoke again when Clara didn't answer. "What did she say they were about?" Clara took a deep breath. Danny already knew what she was going to say, it had to be something to do with the hospital.

"She said that I... I, umm, I died. So you all came to the hospital to say goodbye but she had to stay strong for everyone so she didn't cry. She just watched everyone else break down. That was the bit that I sort of expected but the next part has got me worried. She said that a scary man came into the room and tried to take Noah away from her. I mentioned him again later on to ask her who he was and she immediately became tense. That's the bit that's scaring her." Danny frowned.

"And who was he? Did she know him?"

"Apparently when they were with the nurse at the hospital he ran in the doors and started shouting. The doctors moved forwards to calm him down but he ran towards her and kept shouting. She said that they looked at each other and she keeps remembering his eyes." Danny looked at her with surprise.

"Does she keep getting the same dream?" Clara nodded.

"So she says." They both paused. "I don't know how to help her. I said that she can come and sleep with us if she needs to and she can call us anytime and that it's not real but other than that I don't know what to say." Danny nodded.

"Maybe we need to talk to her together before she goes to bed. That might settle her. Or one of us can stay with her until she falls asleep."

"Yeah, all we can do is try... It needs to work though because I don't want to see her that scared." She rested her head on his shoulder and he put his arm around her. Neither of them really knew what to say or do. It was one of those situations where they just had to let it play out and see what the night would bring.

They reached the start of the field that they needed to cross to get to the park and Ellie and Lily were already half across it. Lily had resorted to dragging her scooter as it wouldn't work on the grass. Danny was surprised she hadn't asked him to carry it, that was what she normally did. Ey got to the gate as Danny and Clara were still walking.

"Come on guys!" Ellie shouted. Lily opened the gate and they ran inside. Clara rolled her eyes.

"Kids these days, so impatient." Danny laughed.

"Can Noah go on the swings!?" They laughed.

"Umm I think he's a little too young to do that, don't you think?" Lily shrugged.

"We can hold him on and do it gently?" Clara smiled.

"I suppose you could." Danny looked at her with a wide grin on his face.

"Okay then." He picked him up out of the buggy and made sure that he wasn't asleep. They then placed him on the seat of the swing and held him there whilst Clara rocked it backwards and forwards. They all laughed.

"I think he likes it." Ellie said, noticing that he hadn't started to cry yet.

"I think he does actually!"

"Can he go down the slide now!?" Lily asked.

"Umm I think that's a little too far." Danny laughed.

After a nice day they sat down in front of the tv. Clara winced as she leaned into Danny.

"Alright?" She nodded and took a deep breath.

"Yeah, just aching now. I enjoyed the walk but I think it was a pretty big shock to my body." Danny smiled.

"That's to be expected. But we're getting there." She kissed his cheek.

"We are indeed, thank you Danny." He kissed her head back.

"Anytime."

Bedtime rolled around and Ellie got up to cuddle Clara.

"Are we going to get you to bed missus?" She shook her head furiously.

"I don't want to mummy! I'm scared." Clara and Danny looked at each other.

"Els, there's nothing to scare you remember? I know it seems real and scary but you know it's not." She shook her head.

"But what if the man comes to get me?" Clara stroked her hair to calm her down.

"He's not going to! He's nowhere near here, he can't find you." She buried her head into Clara and hugged her tightly.

"Why don't we take you up and then stay with you for a bit in your room? Would that help?" She nodded reluctantly.

"Okay then, let's go. We'll all go." Danny picked up Lily and Clara held Ellie's hand as they headed out of the room.

They sat her down in her bed and shut the door.

"Okay, so daddy will turn the lights off but we'll stay here. And there won't be anything there, you'll be completely safe, eh?" She nodded without taking her eyes off of the light switch. Danny flicked it off making Ellie panic a little bit.

"Shh, shh, it's okay. Lay down and snuggle up." She did so but held Clara's hand tightly. "Close those eyes, think about the fun we had today. We're just downstairs if you need us if you wake up." Gradually she dropped off to sleep. Clara smiled at her and tucked her in. They left the room quietly. Clara desperately hoped it would be alright. She hated seeing her little girl scared.

**Thank you for reading! I think the next chapter will get a bit more eventful (take that how you like;) ) I have a storyline but I'm trying to find the best place to put it in. Please leave a review if you have time! It means so much to me, thank you x**


	32. Chapter 32- Downhill Spiral

**Sorryyyyy but this chapter doesn't stick with the happy-ish theme... Oops**

Downhill spiral

Clara awoke suddenly. It took a minute for her to realise what was going on. Soon enough she began to panic at the sound of Ellie shouting and crying from her bedroom. It was the sort of cry that pierced right through her body. It set off that motherly instinct that told her that something was seriously wrong. She got up and ran down the hallway. When she entered the room Ellie stopped shouting but stared at Clara without moving. Clara sat on the bed and pulled her close.

"Shh, shh, it's okay. It's just a dream, it's not real. Mummy's here." She spoke to try to calm Ellie down but she kept panicking. She tried to get up and run away but Clara sat her back down. Then she started to breathe more heavily and became even less responsive. Clara picked her up and ran into her room.

"Danny! She won't speak to me! She's not responding!" She put Ellie down by Danny who was just about awake. He sat up and began to speak to her and shake her a little to stop her from staring into the distance. Clara ran round to the other side of the bed to turn the light on. That seemed to wake Ellie up a little bit, much to their relief.

"Ellie? Ellie?! Ellie! It's daddy, speak to me! Wake up honey." Suddenly she shook her head and threw herself into Danny's arms. He hugged her tightly.

"The man! The man came back to get me!" She began to cry uncontrollably into his chest. Both of them sighed in relief. At least she was talking. That was one good sign.

"It's okay, it's okay. Calm down. Mummy and daddy are here, you're safe." It took a good twenty minutes for her to calm down. When she finally did she laid her head against Clara whilst Danny laid to the other side of her stroking her arm reassuringly.

"There you go, all calm. You're safe now baby. It's all okay." Clara kissed her head. Ellie looked up at her and then down to Danny.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up. I didn't mean to get scared." Danny shook his head.

"Hey, don't you worry about that. That's fine. It's okay to be scared. As long as you can tell us what is scaring you because then we can help to stop it." She nodded.

"What happened tonight that made you more scared than usual?" She paused to think. The panic had made her forget what the nightmare was actually about.

"The man came and spoke to me. He kept coming closer and closer until he was stood right next to the bed. Then he reached down to grab me and..." She stopped and rested her head back on to Clara. Clara kissed her head again to show her that it was okay and that she was safe.

"What did he say sweetie?"

"He kept saying stuff about you two and the Doctor... I can't remember what but then he said something about monsters coming here and hurting us. He said that we are all going to die because we've been bad..." Clara and Danny looked at each other with surprise. Memories came flooding back of past experiences with the Doctor. The man? The man that they met and were nearly killed by? Monsters coming to Earth? The invasion that the Doctor had told them would happen soon? It all fit together but how could it be? How could Ellie be dreaming about it and how could he have been in the hospital for her to see? Clara didn't understand it at all but she knew the Doctor would. If anyone was to make sense of it, he could. Danny was just about to speak to Ellie again but he looked over to see that in the pause of speaking she had fallen to sleep. He stroked her hair out of the way and laid her down on the pillow. Clara sighed. She couldn't grasp how all of this could be happening. Why Ellie? Why on earth did it have to be Ellie who suffered?

The next morning Ellie looked exhausted. Not just exhausted but emotionally drained too. She didn't say much during breakfast and seemed to be very unlike herself. Later on Danny walked over to Clara who was making lunch in the kitchen. He leaned against the worktop but said nothing. He just watched Clara's face trying to gage what she was thinking. Eventually, after he still hadn't said a thing, Clara looked up.

"Yes?" She smiled a little so that he knew she wasn't angry with him. Danny turned her to the side so that they were facing each other.

"How are you feeling?" She was just about to say that she was fine but he interrupted. "And don't sugar coat it because I know you aren't okay about this. I also know that we had the same thought last night." She sighed.

"Okay... I'm upset, angry and very tired. Also I'm very confused. Oh and I feel guilty." He nodded and took a deep breath. She looked at the ground. "Sorry, I don't really know how to feel."

"That's okay, me neither." She nodded, in mid thought.

"The man that she keeps seeing in her dream. I can't help but feel like there's something more to it than it just being a nightmare. She said about how we are in danger and that there's going to be an invasion just like the Doctor told us. That can't be a coincidence right? The man has got to be related or he's got to be the man that tried to kill us and the Doctor that time on Trenzalore." Danny nodded.

"Exactly... But how can she be having the dream if she doesn't even know about any of it?" Clara shook her head.

"I don't know but I need to find out because I can't see it getting any better... Just look at her today. She's so not herself." She leant into him to which he put his arms around her. He kissed her head and sighed.

"I know but we'll sort it like we always do. She'll be okay." Clara nodded.

"But it always comes back to hurt someone that I love. Everything that I do with the Doctor comes back to haunt us. I wouldn't mind if it haunted me but it doesn't, it always impacts someone else. Why Ellie? What has she ever done to deserve this?" Danny rubbed her back whilst continuing to hug her.

"Think about it though. Every time something has gone wrong we've sorted it. Like look at the time when you went into labour with Lily. That was pretty much the worst case scenario but we got through it just like we will with this too. Don't blame yourself. Everything happens for a reason so maybe Ellie having these dreams is a good thing? Maybe it's to warn us? I know it doesn't seem good but we can sort it." She smiled and nodded. Oh Danny. Always puts a positive spin on things. He kissed her softly and kept her within his arms. "Are you going to call the Doctor?" She nodded.

"Yeah, I am. He needs to know and he's the only one who will be able to make sense of what is actually going on. Hopefully..." Danny nodded.

"Yeah, it's got to be linked together somehow."

After a quick call the Doctor appeared at the front door. Clara opened it and allowed him to come inside. As she did, she didn't make eye contact so he knew something was up.

"Hey. Sorry it's been so long. A lot has happened recently, bad and good." He nodded.

"Don't worry about it, how are you?" She lead him through to the living room where they sat on opposite sofas.

"Could be a lot better but oh well... What about you?" He gave her that look. Those big sad eyes that he always tried to hide. He was lonely, she could tell.

"Yeah, you know. Just travelling about doing my own thing..." He quickly changed the subject making it clear to Clara that he didn't want her to ask any more. "You've had the baby then?" She nodded and smiled.

"Yes, a little boy. We've called him Noah." He smiled back.

"Can I see him?" Clara nodded, a little surprised at his request. It was unlike the Doctor to be sentimental. She called Danny who came in holding Noah carefully.

"Hello." The Doctor and Danny smiled at each other. That welcoming yet awkward smile. He passed Noah to Clara and sat down beside her. He started to grizzle a little so she spoke to settle him.

"Shh, you're going to meet your Uncle Doctor now eh?" The Doctor smiled slightly at the title. He hadn't realised that he was so welcome in the children's lives, it made him happy. He took Noah gently and adjusted him in his arms. Clara watched as they bonded immediately. Noah didn't cry which was a good sign. She still couldn't shake the feeling that he had a past that he never spoke about. He was so good with children, albeit a bit awkward but he was such a natural. He must have had experience surely?

"He's a right little star isn't he? He's so perfect." He looked up and smiled at Clara.

"He is indeed, he looks like Danny don't you think?" The Doctor looked up again and nodded.

"Yes, I can see the close resemblance." Everyone then went quiet leading him on to asking why he had been asked round in the first place. "So what's happening? You sounded pretty panicked on the phone." She took a deep breath.

"Where to start... I was in hospital a few weeks back. With complications to do with Noah, I won't go into that. But it hit the girls really hard. They've been struggling a bit, especially Ellie. She's been having really bad nightmares which is where you come in..." He gave her a confused look.

"Me?" She nodded.

"You know when we got stuck on Trenzalore? And that man was there? We asked Ellie what the dreams were about and she said that she keeps seeing a man who talked about us and how we are in danger. And that there's going to be an invasion soon just like you told us. I can't help feeling that it's not a coincidence. How can she know that if no one has ever told her?" The Doctor used his spare hand to rub his face. He sighed and stared into the distance. "Doctor? Is it him? What do you think?" He snapped out of it but paused as he really didn't know what to say. Everything he knew about the situation was just theoretical. He didn't know if it was true or not, he didn't want to worry Clara and Danny.

"Can I speak to her?" Danny and Clara looked at each other in slight shock.

"Yeah, I suppose so. But be nice okay? She's pretty shaken up." He nodded. Clara got up to find her but gave Danny a concerned look as she left. He then got up and took Noah back to relieve the Doctor of him.

Ellie walked in slowly, extremely hesitant. She sat down next to Danny and then rested her head on Clara when she sat down.

"It's alright honey. You remember the Doctor don't you?" She looked over and nodded.

"Yeah, your friend that has the blue box." Clara smiled a little.

"Yeah him. Is it okay if he asks you a few questions about your nightmares?" After a pause she agreed so Clara gave him the nod to go ahead.

"Hello Ellie. It's been a while since I've seen you. You've grown!" She giggled a little bit. It settled Clara a little to know that she was alright really, just a little stunned at the whole situation. "Those nightmares you've been having, how long have you had them for?" She looked at Clara as she thought about the answer.

"About a week and a half."

"Every night?" She nodded.

"This man that you keep seeing, what does he look like?" Clara nodded at her for reassurance.

"He has a long black coat and a hat. And his face and eyes are scary. And he walks funny." The Doctor nodded slowly.

"What does he do?"

"It changes every time. Sometimes he comes to hurt Noah and other times he shouts at me." She paused. Clara whispered to Ellie.

"Tell the Doctor about the dream you had last night honey." She nodded and took a deep breath before speaking again.

"He came into the house and I could hear him coming up the stairs. Then he came in my room and walked towards my bed. He told me not to be scared and then said that he was going to hurt everyone. He said that you were going to come here and try to save us from the monsters but it isn't going to work as he always wins." She stopped talking to the Doctor and turned to face Clara and Danny. "Is it real? Is it really going to happen?" Clara shook her head immediately but then regretted it as she knew that it most probably would.

"No darling... Well not exactly. Some of it might but don't worry at all because nothing is going to happen to any of us. We're not in danger." Out of the corner of her eye she saw the Doctor put his head in his hands. Something was going to go very wrong, she could sense it. Suddenly, though, he looked up.

"Wait, how do you know what he looks like? Have you seen him before?" She nodded slowly.

"He was in the hospital. I saw him and he saw me. Then I started having the dreams." The Doctor stood up and looked out of the window.

"What's wrong Doctor!? What's happening!?" He looked down to Clara who had stood up to walk closer to him.

"You're in danger. And so am I. We need to get out of here now. We need to go." She looked at him with confusion.

"What? What do you mean? Danger from what? What's going-" She stopped speaking when she was interrupted by the doorbell. Danny got up get it but was stopped by the Doctor.

"No! Don't! I'll go." Danny took a step back and walked over to Ellie to keep her safe. The Doctor looked through the hole in the door and then opened it slowly. Suddenly a hand flew in the way making him shut it again quickly. He leant his back against it and breathed heavily. "It can't be... It just can't. How is he here?" He fumbled over his words as the colour dripped out of his face. Clara ran over.

"Doctor? Who is it?!" He shook his head.

"No! Stay back! I don't want you to get hurt." She nodded and stepped back, grabbing Lily's hand as she did.

"Okay but who is it?" The Doctor turned to the door and looked through the hole again. When he saw no one there he sighed.

"He's gone. Where did he go? Where has he gone?!" He walked towards the conservatory that was across the hall and looked out into the garden. "It's the man Clara. He's back." She stepped back again in shock.

"What? But how!? How can he be here? He died, he fell into your time stream!? He can't be here!" The Doctor nodded and pointed his finger up and down at her.

"Exactly, exactly. How is he here indeed. And who is he? But right now, I need to know where he's gone." Clara turned as she saw Ellie run into the room towards her followed by Danny trying to stop her from panicking.

"It's the man mummy! He's here! I told you he would come! You said he wouldn't..." She looked up at Clara with tears in her eyes. Clara bent down to her and held her close.

"I didn't know honey. But don't worry, he won't get you. It's all okay." As she said it Ellie jumped backwards and pointed at the glass. She screamed and shouted making even the Doctor turn to look.

"There! He's there! Mummy! Daddy!" She cried and screamed as Clara tried to calm her down. The man kicked down the door and entered slowly. He stood in front of the Doctor with arrogance. He had a sort of overwhelming strength to him, as though he knew he had won already. There was no competition as he knew he had the upper hand. The Doctor hated that. It was the sort of persona that made his skin crawl.

"Hello again." They all looked at him with anger and confusion. "Wow don't look too pleased to see me! A welcome would be nice?" He laughed evilly.

"How are you here!? What do you want!?" The Doctor demanded. The man just laughed.

"All in good time Doctor, all in good time. In around..." He looked down to his watch. "Three minutes the sky is going to open and this tiny little planet will be flooded with Daleks and Cybermen and a whole host of others. It's the end of the world Doctor! And there's nothing you can do about it." The Doctor scowled.

"What do you want!?"

"I want the world. I want it all. No opposition. No other inhabitants. I especially want the people that have crossed me, dead." He walked over towards Clara and spoke right next to her face. "People like you Clara. Remember all of those times you've saved the day with your best mate the Doctor over there? Well you're paying for them now." He put his hand under her chin and lifted it up slightly.

"Get your hands off of me." He laughed.

"Why should I? What are you going to do about it?" He moved closer making Danny jump forwards.

"Get away from my wife!" He turned to face Danny and slowly removed his hand from her chin.

"How touching. The space girl and his protective husband... Oh and your little children. I wonder what I could make you do in order to protect them." He walked towards Ellie and smiled as Clara and Danny both rushed to her side.

"Don't you dare. You can threaten me as much as you like but you will NOT do a thing to my kids or my husband." He held his hands up and walked back. He then looked down at his watch and grinned.

"It's time! They're coming Doctor!" He looked up at the sky and laughed.

"Stop this now! Please! I'm begging you!"

"It's too late. They're already here." They all braced themselves as a rumble came from the sky above them. Suddenly a light shone from the clouds and ripped a hole into space. Millions of Daleks and Cybermen came flooding through and screams arose from people in the city.

"It's happening mummy! I told you!" Ellie cried. She got up and ran towards the front door before Clara could stop her.

"Ellie! Come back!" As she got up to run her way the man jumped in the way.

"Hold up. I'm going to be needing her." Clara tried to push him out of the way but he was too strong. He turned to face Ellie and picked her up. With a spray of light, they disappeared.

"ELLIE!" Danny shouted.

"NO!" Clara ran forwards and punched the door, tears falling down her cheeks. Danny ran to her side and held her tightly. "Danny she's gone. She's gone." He looked over to the Doctor who was stood watching in the corner. Danny kissed her on the head and gave Noah to her. He passed Lily's hand to hers as well. He walked towards the Doctor in rage.

"Where's he taken her!?" The Doctor shook his head.

"I don't know, I don't know!" Danny rubbed his face in anger.

"Well find out!" The Doctor got up and walked towards the window to look out at the sky again.

"I need to stop-" He started but Danny didn't let him finish.

"No! You don't! The only thing that you need to do is get my daughter back. I don't care what it takes. I don't care what needs to be done! You will get her back!" He looked over at Danny and noticed the pain in his face. It reminded him of himself a long time ago. On Gallifrey, the start of the time war. He couldn't refuse it. Ellie was Clara's daughter. He had to do something.

"Okay. But you, all of you." He addressed Clara too. "Need to be strong. This is not going to be easy but we can do it. First I need your trust. I need to know that you believe that I can help you." Clara nodded through her shock and anger but Danny paused to think. He didn't trust the Doctor, he never had but he knew that he was the only chance of getting his daughter back. Eventually he nodded too. "Right, let's go." The Doctor headed to the front door and opened it abruptly. Danny ran to Clara who was struggling to keep Lily and Noah calm. He grabbed the baby carrier and attached it to his front before taking Noah and placing him inside it. He then picked up Lily. He placed his spare hand on Clara's shoulder.

"Look. We are going to get Ellie back. We'll do what ever it takes." She wiped her tears and nodded. He kissed her head and then held out his hand for her to take.

They walked towards the city following the Doctor closely.

"Doctor. Where have they taken her?" He spoke without looking round at them.

"I don't know but I'd guess that they've teleported to wherever this invasion is being lead from." Clara nodded.

"And where's that?" She was trying to keep her cool but it was getting more and more difficult.

"I also don't know but that's what we need to find out. That's top of my priorities, don't worry." She looked to Danny who was clearly struggling to keep Lily still in his arm.

"Here, give her to me." Lily sat up in Clara's grip.

"Mummy. Where's Ellie?" Clara sighed.

"We don't know sweetie. But we're going to get her now." She spoke to reassure Lily but was actually speaking to enforce the belief that it would be okay into her and Danny more. Neither of them were hopeful. She could be anywhere in time and space all on her own. The thought of that terrified Clara.

They walked a little further but stopped immediately when a Dalek turned the corner and came towards them. The Doctor jumped out of sight before the Dalek knew he was there leaving Clara and Danny to fend for themselves. They looked at each other in shock. It came right up to them and then stopped as though it was scanning them.

"You are on the list. You will be exterminated!" Danny braced himself but Clara stepped forwards.

"And what list is that?" The Dalek paused.

"Classified information." Clara shook her head.

"But I'm going to die in a minute right? So what difference will it make if you tell me or not?" She momentarily looked over to Danny who was looking back at her in terror. Sometimes she forgot how fearless travelling with the Doctor had made her.

"Classified, classified! You will be exterminated!"

"No! Wait. Why are we on the list? What have I done?" It paused again before speaking.

"Conflict against the Daleks. Opposition is imminent. Exterminate!"

"Please don't. Please!" Danny pleaded. The look on his face broke her heart. Why had she let this happen again? Clara reached her hand out to Danny's and smiled at him sadly. They moved close together and pulled Noah and Lily to their chests. The Dalek moved back and got ready to shoot making Clara wince a little bit. Was this really the end? She didn't want to believe it.

***runs and hides* to be continued...**


	33. Chapter 33- To Hell And Back

**Helloooo guys. I'm sorry, again, that this is late. I am trying to upload often/like I used to but it's getting difficult as I have my GCSEs to think about. So chapters may be a little infrequent at the moment and in the future, sorry. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this!x**

To hell and back

Clara and Danny closed their eyes and braced themselves. After a few seconds the noise died down making Clara open her eyes slowly. She was surprised at what she saw. The Doctor was stood behind the Dalek and was in the process of taking the top of its shell off.

"Doctor! What are you doing!? How did you...?" Danny opened his eyes and matched Clara's confused look. They were so sure it was the end at that moment and now the Doctor was acting as though nothing had happened at all. They didn't know how to feel, angry, shocked, happy? It was all merged into one.

"I hid in the tree didn't I. So I jumped out and deactivated it." He said it with such obliviousness that Clara scoffed a little.

"Just like that!? Why did you leave it so long!? We thought we were going to die!" He looked at her with confusion.

"Did you really? I thought it was obvious that I would save you?" Danny stepped forwards with anger and frustration. Clara stopped him before he said anything knowing that the Doctor wouldn't understand either way.

"No. It wasn't. And it's not funny. You can't just expect things to be all okay now. You know that. We've talked about it. It's not just me and you, I have Danny and the kids to worry about. You can't just leave us for dead and then pop out of nowhere!" He still looked very confused.

"Oh... Well I'm sorry." She sighed knowing that he didn't really get what she was saying. After a pause she decided to move on.

"No... It's okay. Don't worry." She looked at Danny and smiled. He then knew that the moment had passed and that he didn't need to say anything more. "What are you doing now?" The Doctor got our his sonic screwdriver and began to dig inside the Dalek.

"Just investigating. I need to see if it has a database of some sort where we can find the list and then find Ellie." He smiled reassuringly as he mentioned her name. She sighed and walked back towards Danny. "Are you alright?" He nodded slowly.

"Yeah I think so. Just a bit shaken up. You?" She smiled.

"The same. We're out of practise with all of this." He laughed a little.

"I suppose we are. That's for good reason though." She nodded, getting what he was hinting at.

"It is indeed... We will get her back. I know we will." He looked at her without much emotion. He wanted to believe it but he just couldn't. He didn't trust the Doctor enough.

"Yeah, I know." He smiled and kissed her head. He then leaned out slowly to stretch his back without waking Noah.

"Let's swap for a bit." He nodded and they swapped children in their arms. They then walked back over to the Doctor.

"Found anything?" He shook his head.

"No. It seems like the basic Daleks don't actually have the information on them, they're just programmed to say that it's classified. Like a script really. So we need to find someone of a higher authority but I think I know where to go." With a slight smile, he set off down the road.

They entered the streets of central London to see debris everywhere. Everything was ruined and people were terrified. Daleks and Cybermen were patrolling the streets making it difficult to get towards the centre. They walked slowly and hid behind what ever they could find in order to not be seen. That was the last thing they needed. When they got to a street corner the Doctor stopped and turned round. They all crouched behind a wheelie bin in an attempt to hide.

"Okay so you see that building over there?" They both nodded at where he was pointing. "I'm assuming that this is being controlled from there. Judging by the amount of guarding in the area I'd say that it's not a bad guess." Clara looked around the area before speaking.

"So we need to get up there right?" The Doctor nodded.

"Yes, that's our best shot. The only problem is, I don't think that's going to be easy. There's no unguarded way inside." They both looked back over to the building in thought but Danny was still a few seconds behind.

"Wait, why can't we use the TARDIS? Just fly up there." The Doctor shook his head.

"We can't. If my theory is right there will be a filter around it. It prevents the TARDIS from being able to land inside. I'd have used that idea otherwise." Danny nodded, feeling a little stupid. They got up and began to run along the street again until a familiar person appeared behind them.

"Uh uh uh! Stop right there. Now where do you think you're going!?" They all stopped dead still and turned to face the man who had appeared behind them along with two Cybermen. "See, it looks like you're trying to sabotage this invasion. But you wouldn't be stupid enough to do that, would you?" The Doctor seethed. Something about him made his skin crawl. "I know that face Doctor. I know when a plan is forming. But you may as well give up. Hand yourselves in. It's not worth fighting." The Doctor shook his head.

"What's in that building? What are you doing? What's your plan?"

"Oh come on, I'm not going to tell you that am I. That would be stupid. But I can tell you one thing..." Suddenly he turned to Clara and walked closer to her. She leaned back slightly, almost by instinct. "Your little girl is a right fighter. She's having a wail of a time up there. But she misses her mummy and daddy. Shame she might never get them back isn't it." She shook her head as a tear fell down her cheek.

"Where is she!? What have you done to her!? Give her back! Please! She's done nothing wrong!" He laughed.

"No. I think I'll keep her for a little longer. But I may need your help." She shook her head.

"I'm not helping you with anything." He gave face of disbelief before moving his hand to touch Noah's head. Clara jerked away whilst protecting him with her arm. Danny moved towards her in alarm. "No! Get away! Don't touch him!" He pulled away and smiled.

"So you'll help me then? Or he gets hurt." She looked to Danny who was helpless.

"Okay." Danny stepped forwards.

"No! Clara no!" She pushed him back.

"I have to Danny! I have to! I can't let Noah get hurt!" A tear fell down Danny's cheek as he knew that what she was saying was true. There was no other option. Eventually he nodded to which she turned to face the man again.

"What do you need?" He grinned.

"Just you... And Noah." She frowned.

"Why Noah? What can you possibly need from him!?" He smiled cunningly.

"Leverage." She scoffed.

"You're sick. Do you know that? Absolutely sick." He shrugged and laughed.

"Good." He put his hand on her shoulder and the bright light appeared again. Seconds before she was transported she looked at Danny to reassure him. He couldn't contain his anger and hurt anymore. He jumped forwards and kicked down the bin.

"Where are mummy and Ellie!? I want mummy and Ellie!" Lily cried into Danny's shoulder.

"We're going to get them back. It's okay sweetie." He looked to the Doctor who turned away in thought.

"Come on, we need to get to that building." Danny followed hesitantly.

"Where has he taken her?" The Doctor shook his head.

"I don't know but I presume it's to the same place as Ellie."

"Why does he need her? What can she tell him that he needs?" The Doctor stopped and shook his head.

"Danny, I don't know! I can't answer your questions! I just don't know... I need to find out. I need to stop this." He looked to the sky in frustration. He felt beaten and defeated. He had made no progress and now Clara was in danger. His mind was going crazy with possibilities but none of them seemed to make any sense.

Meanwhile, Clara stood up with a start in response to Noah crying into her chest. She shushed him and looked around the room. It was plain white, she recognised it. She narrowed it down in her mind to come to the conclusion that she was on a Dalek ship. It was identical the one she had been trapped in with Danny all those years ago. That only meant one thing, danger. As she turned to the door she heard shouting from outside. She moved away from it with caution but she stopped when it began to open. Suddenly she recognised the cry. It was the cry that she could always hear. The one that she could never miss. Ellie. She was pushed into the room and fell to her knees with a thud. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She was terrified.

"Ellie! Oh my god Ellie!" They ran towards each other and Clara knelt down to hug her tightly. "It's alright. Mummy's here." Ellie sobbed. "I am so so sorry. I shouldn't have let this happen. I love you so much and I'll never let you out of my sight ever again." Tears began to fall down her cheeks as well now, as much as she tried to hide them. Eventually Ellie looked up making Clara gasp. "What did they do to you!? What happened Ellie!?" A large gash across the side of her forehead was slowly dripping blood down her face.

"He hit me mummy." She whimpered into Clara's hands that were holding her face carefully. Clara tried to stay calm but she was finding it very difficult. Anger boiled from inside her. There was no way he was going to get away with hitting her daughter. Never.

"How long ago did he hit you? Has it been long." She was trying to gage the amount of blood loss.

"He did it a few minutes ago. He told me that he had you and Noah so I got angry and kicked him. Then he held me still and asked me a question. I didn't know the answer so he got cross." She shook her head in worry.

"No, no, it's okay honey. It's okay. Just tell mummy what he asked you."

"He asked me why the Doctor travels with you and why he gave up his old life to be with you." Clara paused in shock. Why would he need to know that? The Doctor's old life? On Gallifrey? There were so many unanswered questions. She began to cry again causing Clara to sit her down on her knee. Clara rubbed her back reassuringly and allowed her to cry into her chest.

"Did he say why he wanted to know that sweetie?" She shook her head.

"No but he said that he was going to come to get you so that he could ask you instead." Clara nodded and smiled at her. Once she knew that Ellie was looking in the other direction the smile disappeared from her face. She knew she was going to have to face him eventually. She just really didn't want to. "Where's Lily and daddy? And the Doctor?" Clara sighed.

"They're still back at home. But they're okay! They're trying to get us safe and back with them."

Ellie calmed down eventually and slid off of Clara's lap on to the floor.

"My head hurts mummy." Clara leaned towards it and looked at it closely.

"It looks really sore honey. I promise that we'll get it sorted as soon as possible but we can't really do much at the moment. These naughty monsters don't have medical kits!" Ellie laughed. As Clara laughed with her Noah began to wake up. He started to cry and move around in her grasp. "Shh, shh Mr." Ellie kissed his head.

"I think he's scared." Clara smiled.

"I think he is too. Should we try to make him smile like we always do?" Ellie nodded and smiled as Clara took him from the holder on he chest. She held him in her arms and cradled him in the hope that he would drop back to sleep. It wasn't likely but it was worth a try.

Back down on Earth the Doctor and Danny were nearing the building. They ducked behind a large bin below the side entrance. The Doctor looked across at all of the visible ways inside but shook his head.

"It's all too heavily guarded, there's no way in." Danny then looked himself but stopped when he recognised something.

"Wait! That door over there." He pointed to their left. "This sounds crazy but when I was about 21 I had a job interview here and they took me through that back entrance because the main ones were blocked off for some publicity thing. Maybe we can get in through there. I mean, it was low security and quite closed off from the rest of the building." The Doctor smiled for the first time in a while.

"Good work PE! Let's go." Danny smiled gently. He hated that nickname but in this scenario he was kind of warming to it. Lily began to sing along to one of her songs as they got to the door making the Doctor look over in surprise. Danny immediately knew what he was going to say so stepped in first.

"Lily, we're going on a special secret mission now inside that building!" She smiled and clapped her hands. "No, no! Don't do that! We have to be really, really quiet though because if we make too much noise we'll fail! We don't want to do that do we!?" She shook her head.

"No daddy! She said in a whisper.

"Good girl! So no noise for a little bit yeah!?" She nodded making Danny smile. She was so cute.

They made it inside and began to walk up and down the corridors cautiously.

"Stairs." The Doctor moved towards them so that they could head nearer the top of the building. Danny followed but felt himself becoming extremely paranoid. He'd never been with the Doctor without Clara before and it scared him. She had a sort of cloak of bravery that he didn't notice when she was there but missed when she was not. He needed her back. It was driving him crazy.

Clara suddenly heard noise from outside the door or the cell making her hold on to Ellie and Noah even tighter. They watched the door in dread. As it opened, a Dalek cruised in.

"You will come this way." Clara looked at it closely.

"Why? Where am I going?"

"Classified. You will come this way." She sighed and stood Ellie up. She walked towards the Dalek making sure that Ellie and Noah were safely within her grasp. They followed it down the corridor until they reached a door. Ellie took a deep breath and became much more hesitant.

"Mummy this is where the man was." She nodded and held her even closer. The door opened to a large room filled only with a chair in the centre. The man was sat in it looking out to space through the giant windows that spread across the front.

"Dismissed." He spoke to the Dalek and then waited for it to leave before speaking again. "Nice of you to join Clara." She stepped forwards slightly but held Ellie back using her arm as protection.

"You hit my daughter." He nodded coldly.

"I did." Clara scowled.

"How dare you! What did she do to deserve that!?" Now he stood up, recognising her anger.

"She failed to answer my question. And she should have known it. It was in the nightmares." He looked at Ellie slyly. She stepped to Clara's side but still kept a hold on her mum's arm.

"I only didn't tell you because I didn't want my mummy to get hurt! You're horrible so I didn't want to talk to you!" Clara looked down proudly. She suddenly felt glad that she had passed on her sassy trait. The man, however, just laughed.

"Aww. How touching. Well now your mummy is here she can tell me herself can't she!" Clara shook her head.

"You're getting nothing from me!" He gave her a look of confidence. Again, he knew he had the upper hand.

"Oh really? Even if I took little Noah?" She shook her head again. He had found her pressure point and would not stop using it.

"You stay away from him! Don't touch either of my children!"

"Well it looks like you're going to have to help me then doesn't it? Because if you don't, they get it." She looked down at them both. What could she do? It was either tell him about the Doctor and face the consequences or risk her children. She knew instantly what option to take. It was obvious. She couldn't allow her children to be hurt.

"Okay. Okay, I'll help you. What do you want to know?" He smiled.

"Good choice. Very wise... Now I want to know why the Doctor travels with you. Why you? Why give up his time to travel with a woman from Earth?" She paused to think.

"He's my best friend. He didn't take me with him as a chore. He did it because he wanted to. It was a choice." The man laughed again.

"Oh really! Is that what he told you?"

"He didn't have to. I could tell." He nodded.

"Oh yeah because you know him so well don't you!" She nodded.

"Yes I do. A damn sight better than you do."

"So you think... You see, there's a huge part of his past that he doesn't talk about Clara. All do those years running from what he caused. Those years take their toll. Don't you ever think there's a bigger reason as to why he chose you?" She hesitated.

"No, he would have told me otherwise."

"I don't think he would though. He's not the talking type. I know that better than anyone." She gave him a confused look.

"Oh go on then, if you know him so well. Who are you? How do you know?" He paused and looked back out of the window. Clara stepped forwards to catch his eye in order to make him hurry up.

"We knew each other a long, long time ago. On Gallifrey. I bet he wouldn't even remember! Careless bastard... Oh sorry, language. I forgot that there's children around. Just like the Doctor did that night on Gallifrey. He forgot and it cost him his whole family." Clara frowned, not quite following what was going on.

"His family? What happened?"

"Oh you don't know? Right, well I best let him tell you that then. Let's go and get him shall we?" He walked over and took Clara's arm to initiate the teleport.

They landed back on Earth on the top floor of the building they were heading to earlier. Once again he dismissed the Daleks and Cybermen, assuming that he wouldn't need protection. Clara looked around the room and was surprised at what she saw. In front of them was a large object that looked much like a pod. Inside it was something growing but she couldn't see what it was. Suddenly her mind was taken off of it as she heard Danny's voice. She looked over to see him running towards her with Lily in his arms. The Doctor then slowly followed. Clara and Danny both crouched down so that they could talk to Ellie and Lily. He kissed Clara's head and wiped away her the tears that had began to fall down her cheek without her even noticing. He then looked to Ellie and his eyes widened.

"What happened!?" He frantically looked at her head, to Clara and back again.

"He hit her..." Danny was about to stand up, rage and disgust hitting him, but Clara held him down. "Danny no. I know you're angry, I am too, but that's not going to help anything." After a pause he nodded. He sighed and Ellie's head.

"Are you okay sweetie." She nodded.

"My head hurts but I'm okay." He smiled and nodded. As soon as she spoke the anger faded away. Hearing her voice reminded him of how much he had wanted her back before. He was just so glad that he had her back within his reach.

"She's been a very brave girl." Danny nodded.

"Are you okay? And Noah?" She nodded briefly.

"Yeah, as well as we can be." He smiled sympathetically, knowing that it was going to take a while to get over this.

The Doctor began to speak making them all look towards him.

"This is timelord technology... You can't have this. How can you have this?" The man looked at him as though he was waiting for something to click in the Doctor's head but sighed when he said nothing back.

"Oh come on Doctor. I know it's been a long time but we're family! I thought you'd remember that much." Clara and Danny looked at each other in shock. The Doctor stepped back in fear. The look on his face told Clara that what had just been said really meant something to him.

"You... How can you be here? What are you doing on this planet!?" He started to stress out making the man step back a little bit. "You died! You died on Gallifrey that day! You can't be here!" He stepped back again with tears in his eyes. It was the first time that Clara had ever actually seen him properly emotional. It shocked her, so much that she didn't really know what to do about it.

"Doctor? Who is he? What happened on Gallifrey that day?" Clara stood up and walked over to him slowly. He looked up and sighed. He knew he was going to have to explain it all. Relive all the memories.

"Look Clara. There's a reason why I don't speak about what happened. Sometimes the truth is too painful to say." She frowned.

"That's not an answer. Tell me what happened." He paused but then gave in to her.

"The start of the time war, all of those years ago. I had a family. A wife, and two children." She smiled slightly at the thought of it.

"How old were your children?" She started to make a conversation out of it as that was the only way to get any information out of him. He paused again, knowing that he would make himself upset by talking in too much depth.

"The boy was four and the girl was... She was two. The Daleks came and took them away. There was nothing I could do! I never saw any of them again." He put his head in his hands making her place a hand on his shoulder.

"Who is he then? What does he have to do any of it?"

"He's my brother..." Clara looked over in surprise. "He was working alongside the Daleks, behind my back of course. But they came to our village and took everything from me and he just stood there. Emotionless. He watched my family die in front of me and did nothing about it!" The sadness had faded and anger flooded out of him. As he raised his voice Clara found herself standing back a little.

"There was nothing I could do! You know that!" The Doctor shook his head in anger.

"You could have stopped them! You could have dismissed them! All it took was one silly little order and my wife and children would still be alive!" He shook his head as he looked at his little brother, emotion filling his eyes.

"Oh forget about that! Come on Doctor! They wouldn't have survived the time war anyway! I did them a favour!" The Doctor growled. "Look what that moment has given me! An empire. Lead of the most formidable race in the universe! Oh and look at this revolution! All I had to do was implant my image into the girls head and we were off!" Everyone looked at him in disgust. How could someone be so heartless? The Doctor was ready to fight him. To punch him until his anger receded but he didn't. Instead he stepped forwards and spoke.

"I was ready to hit you then. Ready to beat you until your blood ran cold. But I'm not going to, you don't even deserve that... People like you feed on others pain and jealousy. That's all you are, jealous. You always have been ever since we were kids. So jealous because I was the clever one. I was the nice one. Well now you've shown who you are. That wasn't favouritism, it was choice. You chose that life, you chose to be how you are today. And you deserve everything that's coming to you. You know what, I'm glad of all of those years you bullied me because I've grown into a stronger person for it. One who has friends and a life. What have you got? Absolutely nothing." He laughed.

"I have this. I have this invasion. I will have the universe." The Doctor shook his head.

"Oh no you don't. Because I know what that is." He pointed at the pod to the side of them. "That's a living, breathing and growing thing. By the looks of it you've been growing it for a long while and it's probably cost you a lot to keep. So I'm guessing that you would like to keep it? Yes?" The man stepped forwards a little.

"You can't do anything. What are you going to do!?" The Doctor smiled and grabbed his sonic screwdriver from his coat.

"This." He pressed the button and it began to whir away.

"No! Stop! No!" The man shouted for him to stop but the Doctor didn't. Suddenly the pod exploded sending shards of glass flying everywhere. After a pause the man threw his arms out and disappeared in a roaring flame. His incinerated body fell to the ground and silence spread throughout the room. Out of the window they watched the Daleks and the Cybermen flee into the sky. Their master had gone. They had no longer had any duty on Earth.

The Doctor sat down, expressionless. Clara looked over to Danny to see that they were okay before speaking.

"Doctor. What the hell just happened?" He looked up at her with tears in his eyes.

"I can't explain it now... I just can't. I need time to think." Clara nodded in confusion. "Can you get yourselves home? I need to-... I need to go." He got up and limped over to door where he disappeared down the corridor. Once he was out of sight he let a tear escape from his eye. There was so much to explain. So much pain and memory trapped inside of him. He didn't know how to say it.

Clara walked slowly over to Danny. She bent down and picked up Lily. She held her hand out for Ellie to take and smiled at Danny.

"Come on. Let's go home." They all nodded and headed towards the other door. As they were walking Clara stayed very quiet. All she could think about was the Doctor. She could sense the emotion inside of him wanted to come out but he couldn't find the words to do so. There were so many questions thrashing around in her head that she could barely concentrate. Life had become so complicated. She hated it.

**Part three coming soon...**


	34. Chapter 34- Gallifreyan Tears

**All is now revealed... Enjoy ;) x**

Gallifreyan tears

Clara got up slowly to the sound of Noah crying next to her. Absentmindedly, she began to feed him as she stared at the wall in front of her. It had been two weeks since it all happened and the Doctor hadn't been in touch. He hadn't come round or answered any of Clara's calls. She was going spare with worry. On the plus side though, Ellie had stopped having nightmares and was back to her usual happy self, except from the cut down her face but even that was healing quickly. The whole family had been so much happier since it. It was like a layer of fog had been lifted from the household. Despite this, Clara still couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened to the Doctor or that he was in trouble.

Danny rolled over and stroked her arm as he opened his eyes making her lose her train of thought.

"Morning beautiful." She smiled down at his cheesy grin.

"Morning." He sat up a little, resting on his elbow, and continued to grin.

"You know what day it is today right?" She nodded happily. "Happy Valentines." He kissed her deeply to which she felt herself relax for the first time in days. Danny then pulled away to see that Noah had dropped off to sleep again so he got up and put him back in the cot. Clara then watched him as he walked over the wardrobe and reached to the top, bringing down a box and a card. She smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Nice hiding place." He laughed.

"Well you can't reach it so I figured it's the only place in the house where you wouldn't go." He winked knowing what she was going to say next.

"Hey! It's Valentine's Day, you're not allowed to be height-ist." They both laughed. Danny sat back down and smiled.

"Okay, I'm hoping that I've chosen well. I mean we haven't really had much time recently so I gave it my best shot." She smiled sweetly. He was so cute when he was nervous.

"I'm sure I'll love it what ever it is Danny. I always do." She unwrapped the small box to see a beautiful bracelet. It was silver and had rose pink running through it. Hanging off of the sides were three small lockets around it. She stared at it in awe and then leaned in to hug Danny. She threw herself forwards slightly harder than she had meant to so they both fell down on the bed. Danny laughed.

"So you like it then?" She nodded.

"Yes! I love it! Thank you so much, I love you." She kissed him softly as they laid in each other's arms.

"One locket for each child." She smiled again.

"It's perfect... I feel bad now because I haven't really got you much." He shook his head.

"No, no don't worry. You don't have to give me anything. Things have been really rocky lately so I didn't expect much. All I need and want is your love, which I seem to have already." She kissed him again.

"At least let me cook for you today? The girls are at dads so we have the house to ourselves." He grinned.

"I would but I already have that covered... I'm cooking for you." She frowned and laughed a little.

"What? You can't cook." She laughed again.

"I know but I bought a book and the ingredients so I'm going to throw them together and see what we get."

"Mmm, don't know how I feel about that." He laughed.

"Don't feel anything. Just relax and enjoy the day." She nodded and they kissed again.

Mid-morning the house was quiet. The kids were with Dave so Clara and Danny had collapsed on the sofa.

"What has our life come to eh? It's Valentine's Day and were sat hand in hand on the sofa nearly asleep with a cheesy movie on." He laughed.

"We had children. They give us a reason to be exhausted." She nodded in agreement. "Anyway I don't really feel like going out anywhere. It's nice here, just the two of us." They smiled at each other.

"Yeah, it is. I wouldn't change it at all." As she spoke a familiar whirring sound swept through the house making her sit up with a start.

"So much for it just being us two. I wondered when he would turn up." Clara sighed.

"Well it's not the best of timing but I'm glad he's here. He's ignored me for long enough now." Danny nodded.

She stood up and walked towards the doors. As she did he walked out, his shoulders slightly drooped and his eyes on the floor. He looked up briefly but then looked back down when he saw Clara's reaction to his complexion.

"Doctor... What happened? You look awful." He scoffed.

"Thanks." She sighed.

"That's not what I meant... I mean, you look tired. Hurt." He nodded and headed to sit down. "Did you get my calls?" He nodded again.

"Yeah I did. Sorry, I just wasn't really in the mood. I had to sort out my head." She came and sat back next to Danny who was now sat forwards as well.

"Looks like you were successful then." She said with sarcasm making the Doctor rub his hands over his face.

"Yeah well things like this don't just go away. They eat away at you until there's nothing left except from hurt and sorrow and regret." Clara looked him in the eyes sympathetically.

"Tell me what's going on Doctor. Tell me what's going on in that head of yours. You never know, talking may help." He paused but then seemed to trust what she had said.

"You know when you get upset and you feel the pain and the sadness? That's passed now. Now I just feel nothing. I'm not angry, I'm not sad, I'm not regretful. I'm just... empty." Danny looked at the floor. He knew exactly how the Doctor felt. He'd been there before. Clara saw his reaction to it so placed a hand on his knee reassuringly. He then smiled up at her.

"This has been going on for a while hasn't it? The whole 'man' thing stirred it up, I can tell. And also, it's okay to feel empty. You've just lost your brother." The Doctor shook his head.

"I don't care about him though. I don't care that he's gone. He reminded me of my family... And it hurt, it hurt a lot. All of those memories that I had tried to forget came back." He sighed and rubbed his face again. Clara sat forwards a little, sadness in her eyes.

"Oh Doctor. Why didn't you tell me? You could have told me." He shook his head.

"No, like I said to you the other day. Sometimes the truth is too painful to tell." She nodded.

"Well you can tell me now because I want to be able to help you. I can't do that if I don't know what happened." He looked her in the eyes. Almost simultaneously, she felt his pain and he felt her worry. He had to tell her, he knew that. Deep down he knew that letting it go would relieve him of his hurt.

"So you know about my family..." She nodded. "For a while my brother had been acting weirdly. He stopped coming to visit and lost contact with my parents. Then when the time war began we were both recruited to the Gallifreyan army. I was reluctant to leave my family as the children were young and I didn't want to leave my wife but he had no doubts. He left as soon as we were asked without a second thought. Once we joined I didn't see him for months. He was never within the barracks and chose not to socialise with the other soldiers like everyone else did. For some reason I thought nothing of it but now I realise that I should have done..." Clara nodded along as he spoke.

"So how did you find him again?"

"Oh I didn't find him, he turned up. It was the 15th of August, the year 1209 at 2:30 in the afternoon. It's still so vivid. I was home on leave from the army, back to see my family. Then the Daleks arrived and began to shoot down everything. I ran out to help, but they kept shooting. It was then that I saw him walk out of the ship. He strolled up to me and held me still. He patronised me and made me feel guilty for things I never even did. Then I panicked and tried to get away. When I didn't stop resisting he sent the Daleks for my family. They walked out with their hands on their heads. They were crying and screaming. I can still hear it now. That piercing scream of terror that no man ever deserves to hear. My wife looked over... She gave me that look that she only held for me. I went crazy. I fought and fought but I was too late." He took a pause. "I never saw any of them again after that day. In that split second my life fell apart. I lost everything that I ever lived for, everything I ever loved. And he... He just stood there. He watched my world fall apart and said nothing. It was then that I realised that he was no longer my brother. Something had changed him and I never forgave him for that." He stopped and looked over to Clara briefly. He saw tears fall down her cheek. It hit her strongly. She could imagine his pain as it could easily have happened to her a few weeks ago. It also hurt her to think that he had had to deal with all of that on his own for so many years. Stupidly, she felt guilty for not helping. But then again, how could she have known?

"Oh Doctor. I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry." She wiped her eyes and sat forwards. She held out her hand for him to take. He did so and smiled sadly.

"It's okay. It's not your fault." She nodded, not really knowing what to say next.

"What were they like? Your family." A smile arose on his face.

"The boy, Taspar, he was a typical boy. Running about, playing football, coming home covered in mud. He was quite the looker too, would have made a handsome man." The Doctor chuckled slightly, in mid-reminiscence. And the girl, Millenia, she was perfect. So, so perfect. Life and soul of the family. Never ceased to make me laugh. She was a right tomboy so her and her brother got on really well. In fact, she reminds me of your Lily." Clara smiled. "And as for my wife, Celesia, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever met. She just had this thing about her that made me fall in love with her more and more every time I looked at her. We were so close. Always had been, ever since we were young children... They really were the only reason I got up in the morning. They lit up my life... And my world. So after they were gone the light faded leaving me with nothing but darkness. I suppose travelling around makes it easier because time doesn't go as slowly. I don't have to live life minute by minute, second by second. If I did I don't think I'd be able to cope." Clara looked up in an attempt to stop the tears from flowing down her face. It was so difficult seeing him like this with no solution to give. It broke her heart to know that he had been suffering for so long. To know that he had experienced so much that shaped how he acted today. After a pause Danny spoke.

"Can I just say that I'm sorry?" The Doctor looked up with surprise. Clara matched his look as she turned her head to face him. "I know we haven't always got on and that I have been very rude to you a number of times. Granted, you deserved it every so often but now I think I understand how you act sometimes. You have been through so much and, frankly, I admire you for that. You are so brave and are such a good man. For a while I resented you because I didn't trust you with Clara's life but now I can see that after all you have experienced you would never put her in danger purposely. You couldn't, I know that. I'm so, so sorry for what has happened and for how I have treated you. I'm also happy to help you with anything you need. So, on that note, can I call a truce?" The Doctor smiled softly and leaned forwards to shake Danny's hand.

"Yes you can. Thank you. That means a lot." Danny smiled and then gave Clara a look. She smiled gratefully at him. There was another long pause then.

"Sorry, I don't know what to say." The Doctor shook his head at her.

"No, no, it's okay. You don't need to say anything. But I'm guessing you have some questions about it all right?" Both Clara and Danny nodded slowly.

"Yeah, just a few." Danny said with a puzzled expression on his face. Clara jumped in and took lead before Danny could begin asking to make sure that they weren't sat there all day. By the look on his face he had a lot of things to ask.

"Firstly, you know that pod thing? What was in it? Why did it kill him?" The Doctor sat back up and took a deep breath, almost as though he was pushing the emotion aside and was changing the subject.

"It held a small locket that contained his life and his body. Time lord technology. It incapsulates a persons life and allows them to grow another one of themselves, like a duplicate for in case they die. Destroy the locket, destroy the person. He must have stolen it from Gallifrey and began to grow himself. I recognised it immediately so knew what to do next. The only problem was that because we have similar genes it also linked to me. A lot more weakly but still latched on to me, hence the pain I was in when he had gone... The thing is though, I killed my own brother in cold blood. I didn't even hesitate. Didn't even consider what I was doing. What sort of man does that make me?" Clara shook her head.

"It makes you a brave man, one who was willing to sacrifice so much to save the Earth and all of the people on it. Doctor, I know he was your brother but think about what he did to you. No loyal brother does that." He nodded a little. "Wait, why did he keep saying that it was all your fault?"

"He always blamed me for everything. Especially back on Gallifrey. He was the one that took my family and destroyed them, not me. But he still blames me. He says that I drove him away from the family by being the 'golden child' and that I should have done more to protect them before he took them away."

"But you know it wasn't your fault right? You don't blame yourself for it do you?" He hesitated before answering.

"No. Not for all of it. I blame myself for running out and trying to stop him because in that time the Daleks had taken my family. If I had just stayed inside I may have been able to save them." Clara sat forwards again.

"How were you to know!? You didn't know what was going to happen next." He shrugged.

"Maybe I didn't but I still made that careless mistake... Anyway, that's done now and I have to live with it." Clara sensed that shouldn't say anything more about it, he had had enough. Danny slowly joined the conversation, albeit rather hesitant.

"Why did Ellie have those dreams then? And how was he in the hospital for her to see?"

"Again, time lord technology. There are these machines that induce vivid dreams and can be manipulated by the person who inputed them. In the hospital he must have somehow attached the dreams to her and then used her to warn us of the future and to scare her. He must have been watching you for a while to know your situation and what had been happening previously." Danny nodded, feeling rather uncomfortable with the thought.

"What about the list? What's happened to that?" The Doctor shook his head.

"I don't know. It wasn't inputed to the Daleks so that's one good factor. It means that they can't carry on the invasion without him as their leader. But I don't know who else had it or who made it so I'd say that no one is safe yet. I don't think anything will happen immediately but it may do in the future."

"Okay." Just before she was about to speak he jumped in first.

"I think I'm going to head off. I need time to think." Clara nodded.

"You don't have to. You can stay for longer if you'd like." He shook his head with a sad smile.

"No no. I know what day it is, you two go and enjoy yourselves." He got up and began to walk out of the room. Once he got to the TARDIS doors Clara stopped him.

"I want you to know that you are welcome here anytime at all. I want to help you Doctor, I hate seeing you like this... So please come back soon? Even if it's just for an hour. Come in and see the girls and Noah. Don't feel like you're interrupting because you're not. We all love having you here." He nodded smiled.

"I'll be back, I promise. Thank you Clara. Oh and say another thank you to Danny for me." She smiled and hugged him tightly.

"Take care Doctor." He smiled again before flying away leaving the hallway empty. Clara stood still for a minute or so in the same position as before. Danny got up, walked towards her and hugged her tightly. After a second she relaxed into him and sighed.

"Danny what the hell am I meant to do? My best friend is going through the unthinkable and I have nothing to say to him to help." He moved away from her so that he could see her face. A tear fell down her cheek which he wiped away gently.

"Do what you always do. Be Clara. Sometimes all someone needs is to have a person who will listen to them and give them comfort when they need it. You've done that and you always will." She smiled and hugged him again.

"I hope you're right."

"I know I'm right. I'm talking from experience." The smile dropped off of her face slightly as she thought back to when Danny was unhappy. She hoped that the Doctor could be helped in the same way, through love and support, but somehow she couldn't see it being quite that simple. "Come on, come and sit back down." He took her hand and led her back to the sofa.

"Ahh, sorry. This is hasn't ruined any of your plans for today has it? I didn't think he would turn up today." Danny shook his head.

"No, no, it's fine. I mean it wasn't how I expected the day to go but it's okay. We still have ages left of it to celebrate." She nodded.

"But first there's something I want to say... What made you change your mind about the Doctor? What made you call a truce?" Danny sighed and moved to make himself more comfortable.

"Well I guess, first of all, I feel bad. As I said, sometimes bloomin' well deserved the things that I said to him but I think I have been unfair at other times. I, for one, know how different experiences can shape the person you are today and how they can impact you emotionally, especially the army. So once I heard what he has been through I can understand why he acts the way he does in different situations. I felt like I needed to say sorry so that he could see that I didn't always mean to not get along with him and that we only argued really because we both care about you. Back when we first met I resented him from a jealous point of view but now I just can't bear the thought of losing you. When I looked into his eyes I could see his pain. He's lost so much. He'd never put you in danger, I know it. So I decided that it was a good time to put the past behind us and move on." She smiled gently.

"Thank you, that means a lot... By the way, you looked so cute when you were saying that." He laughed.

"You're welcome. And thank you, I try my best." He kissed her again making her giggle a little. "Now you are going to sit here with a glass of champagne and your feet up whilst I go and get dinner started." She nodded.

"I like the sound of that." He grinned.

"Oh and you are banned from the kitchen. It's all a surprise. I'll be back in a second." She laughed and moved over to put a movie on.

Danny kept popping in and out to talk to her in between cooking. Every time he looked more and more flustered. It made Clara laugh.

"Are you sure you're okay in there?" He wiped his head with the tea towel and sighed.

"Yeah! Of course! Just a few technical difficulties." Clara laughed.

"Right, are they actual difficulties or are they just not working because you don't know how to use the oven." He sighed.

"The latter... But it's fine because I'll work it out." They both laughed as he ran back into the kitchen.

A further ten minutes later there was an almighty crash from the other room. Clara jumped up in shock.

"Danny? Are you okay!?" She moved towards the door and put her ear to it. She could just make out Danny cursing under his breath and moving pans up and down the work surface.

"Yeah! I'm fine! Just dropped the pan!" She laughed again.

"Okay, please be careful." He came to the door and shut it again once he had come through it so that she couldn't see what was inside.

"I will, I promise. Go and sit back down, it'll only be another ten or fifteen minutes." She rolled her eyes.

"Thirty minutes more like." He hit her with the tea towel making her run away back into the living room.

"Stop with the teasing!" They laughed and he ran back into the kitchen again.

Much to Clara's surprise, Danny came back to the door exactly fifteen minutes later.

"Ooh you're on time!" He nodded.

"Of course I am!" He winked at her. "Would madam care to come through?" She nodded and took his hand. He led her into a sparklessly clean kitchen with the dining room table all decorated. She gasped.

"Danny, it's beautiful." He grinned and kissed her head. He then pulled out her chair for her and made sure that she was sat comfortably. "What would you like to drink? I have red wine, white wine, more champagne?" She smiled.

"Let's go for the red. May as well celebrate." He nodded.

Three courses later Clara sat forwards and held her hand out for him to take.

"That was delicious Danny. Thank you so much." He sighed in relief.

"I'm glad because I'm exhausted now." She laughed.

"Well now that I know that you can cook, you can be the chef of the house." He leaned back and sighed again.

"Oh god. I don't know if I could cope with that. Anyway, no one can beat your Shepherd's Pie." He winked making her laugh.

"You have a point mister. I can make a mean pie." He nodded.

"Right then, let's go back into the other room." They got up and headed out of the door but Danny paused as he looked over at the dirty pots and pans. "I should really wash up..." She shook her head.

"Nope, that can wait until tomorrow. Now it's your turn to relax." He grinned and they sat down in front of a soppy romantic film.

They relaxed for the rest of the evening laid in each other's arms. All thoughts of the Doctor had momentarily faded away allowing Clara to switch her brain off from everything. She looked up to Danny to see that he had fallen to sleep. She laughed and kissed his cheek. Life at the moment was tiring yet fulfilling. She loved it really.

**Yay it's all happy again! For now... ;) x**


	35. Chapter 35- Broken Family Ties

**Hellooo, hope you enjoy :) x**

Broken family ties

"Morning all." Clara said cheerfully as she walked down the stairs with Noah in her arms. Danny, Ellie and Lily looked up from their breakfast and smiled back.

"Morning mummy! Did you sleep well?" Ellie asked politely. Clara nodded and stroked Ellie's hair as she walked past to sit down.

"Yes I did thank you. Did you?" She nodded happily.

"Yeah. I'm glad the Doctor got rid of the nightmares. I can sleep now and I don't feel tired all of the time." Danny smiled at her and then at Clara.

"So are we! The Doctor was very, very clever so you'll have to thank him next time you see him." Ellie looked up and nodded.

"Can we see him soon? Can he come round to play like he did a few weeks ago?" Danny hesitated and looked over to Clara immediately kicking himself for bringing him up in such a way.

"Maybe yeah. It might not be for a few weeks yet though." Clara answered unconvincingly. Luckily Ellie wasn't quite old enough to notice that.

"Is he okay? Because he walked off really quickly once we had beaten the man and he looked like he was hurting." Clara sighed.

"He's okay really. Things have happened recently that have made him a little bit sad so that's why he might not come round to play. Don't worry about it though, he'll be fine!" Ellie nodded and got back to eating her breakfast.

"But you know what you could do? You could make him a nice card to say thank you! With lots of colours and drawings? He'd like that." She smiled.

"Can I?!" Danny nodded, pleased that she liked his suggestion.

"Of course you can! Finish up your breakfast and you can go and find the pens to take to grandad's later." Lily perked up and pushed her bowl away from her.

"I'm done!" Danny laughed.

"Good girl. Are we going to get you dressed in a minute?" She crossed her arms and shook her head. The chub from her cheeks pressed on her neck making her look incredibly cute.

"Yeah! We need to take you to grandad's!" She shook her head again.

"No! I don't want to get dressed! I want to stay in my pyjamas!" Danny laughed.

"You can't do that! It's daytime!" She smiled a little bit.

"Yes I can! Pyjama party!" They all laughed and Ellie shook her head.

"We can't do that today Lily. We're going to go to the park with grandad and everyone would see your pyjamas." Lily laughed.

"Oh okay." Ellie laughed and got off of the chair. She took Lily's hand and they walked away together towards the stairs in deep conversation. Clara smiled at the sight. They got on so well. She got up and put Noah in the travel cot so that she could get her own breakfast. Danny followed her and turned her round to face him once she had put her bowl down.

"Sorry for that earlier. I should have thought before bringing up the Doctor and him coming to visit like that." She shook her head.

"No, it's fine. We saved it without too much being given away. It's okay." He nodded and smiled.

"Okay." He pulled her towards him and kissed her softly.

"Wow what was that for?" He grinned as they spoke with her still closely in his arms.

"For being my beautiful wife." She kissed him back.

"I try my best. Not that I'm looking amazing now." He laughed.

"You always look amazing." They kissed again but pulled away when they heard Ellie and Lily laughing at the doorway.

"Eww yucky!" Lily said, giggling to herself. Danny smiled at Clara and then walked over to Lily. He picked her up and rolled her in his arms, tickling her as he did so. She laughed and shouted happily. He stopped and smiled, sitting her on the worktop. "You'll understand one day. When you're older you'll come home with your boyfriend!" She shook her head and laughed.

"Eww no! Never!" They all laughed as Danny put her back down. He walked back over to Clara who was smiling softly.

"If only she could always stay like that." Danny nodded in agreement.

"If only eh." They smiled at each other as Danny headed out to get the girls ready for Dave's.

In the car, Ellie sighed a little bit.

"Why do we have to go to grandad's?" Clara turned her head round to speak to her.

"Because daddy and I need to take Noah to the hospital for a check up. We won't be long, I promise. Do you not want to see grandad?" She smiled.

"No I do want to see him but I don't want to see Linda." Clara sighed. Ellie still hadn't begun to get on with Linda, not that she blamed her, but it did make things difficult sometimes.

"Linda isn't going to be there okay? I told grandad to tell her to go out for the day so you won't see her." Ellie instantly relaxed.

"Okay, that's good then." Clara smiled gently at her and then turned back round. Her and Danny exchanged a look but said nothing. As much as Clara understood why Ellie didn't like Linda and agreed with her on the subject, it did make things awkward. She hated having to split her and his dad up in order for him to see his family. As much as she hated Linda, she wanted her dad to be happy and if that was what Linda could offer then she had to put up with it.

They arrived at the door to see Dave waiting for them happily. He always got so excited when he spent time with Ellie and Lily, the three of them got on so well. Once the girls had gone inside Clara lowered her voice a little to speak to him.

"So definitely no Linda right?" He nodded.

"Yep, she's out all day so she won't be back." Clara smiled.

"Okay good. It's just that Ellie mentioned her in the car and seemed quite uptight about her being here so I just wanted to check."

"She won't come back don't worry. We'll be fine here." She nodded and kissed him on the cheek.

"See you later and thank you for having them." He shook his head.

"No need to thank me, any time." They smiled and Clara got back in the car to head to the hospital.

An hour or so later, Dave and the girls were happily playing a board game together when they heard the sound of the front door being opened. Dave shook his head and muttered under his breath. Linda strolled in and put down her bag. Dave stood up and walked towards her with a confused look on his face.

"What are you doing here?" She sighed and looked down her nose at the girls.

"Oh hello to you too. The shops were too busy so I decided to come back." Dave looked round to see Ellie stand up and move backwards a little. He knew how much she resented Linda, hence her supposedly being out all day.

"You know you can't be here." Linda walked towards the sofa.

"What? I'm not allowed back into my own home?" Dave shook his head.

"That's not what I mean. You can't be here now when the girls are here, I promised Clara. You know how it is." Linda stood back up and stepped towards Dave.

"Oh for goodness sake! I'm not that bad! It's okay, nothing is going to happen." She had raised her voice a little too high so, as a result, Lily began to cry slightly. Being near Linda unsettled her quite a bit. "Oh look! Poor little Lily! She's even crying at the sight of me now! What rubbish lies has your daughter been feeding them?!" Dave looked at her in disgust as he picked up Lily and settled her down. He didn't quite understand why Linda was being so rude today.

"My mummy doesn't lie! She's nice!" Ellie shouted. Linda laughed sarcastically.

"Is that what she tells you too? She must have missed the bits where she's gone wrong." A tear fell down Ellie's cheek. She was quickly getting very upset.

"Stop saying that! You're the horrible one, not my mummy! I don't like you!" Linda shook her head.

"Oh come on. What am I going to do to you!? Just come and sit back down." She got up and walked towards Ellie a little bit making her jerk backwards.

"No! Get away! Don't do that! Grandad help." He put Lily down and went to comfort Ellie. He was quite surprised that the extent of her reaction but then he thought again about the events she had been through in the last few months. They were bound to take their toll.

"Move away Linda, you're not helping." She ignored his request and continued to walk to her. Ellie shook her head and shouted. She pushed Linda out of the way and ran out of the front door. Dave ran after her but was held up by Lily. By the time he got to the end of the drive she was already out of sight. He panicked and began to run after her when Danny and Clara pulled up on the driveway. They both jumped out of the car immediately and ran over.

"Dad!? What's wrong!?" He shook his head in worry.

"Linda turned up and wouldn't leave Ellie alone so she ran out of the door. I don't know where she went!" Their eyes widened.

"Which way did she go!?" Danny asked quickly.

"That way!" Dave pointed in the right direction.

"I'll go and find her! You stay with Lily and Noah." Clara managed as much as a small nod as she watched Danny sprint round the corner. She was too shocked to say anything else so she marched inside instead. She saw Linda and stared at her coldly before running over to Lily who was crying on the floor.

"It's okay honey. Mummy's here!" Lily calmed down a little but Clara did the exact opposite. She was so angry and frustrated. She needed an explanation.

"Yeah, the lying mother who will do anything to make her children to hate me!" Clara shook her head and tried to keep her cool.

"I am not trying to make my children hate you! They made that decision on their own and that was down to your behaviour." Linda scoffed. Before she could snap back Dave stepped in and stopped the bickering.

"Oh will you just stop Linda! Why are you here anyway!? I told you not to come back early! I don't care if the shops were busy or whatever excuse you used, you should have stayed out of the way! As far as I can see, this is on you. You caused this along with all of the other trouble you seem to enjoy causing. I mean, I just don't get it. Why are you constantly out to ruin my family!? All you needed to do was to stay out for an hour longer, that wasn't too much to ask!" He paused, trying to steady his rage in front of Lily. "I don't care what excuses you have. You're on thin ice." For the first time ever she didn't say a thing back. Dave had never lost his cool with her before so it seemed to come across as a great shock. Clara couldn't help but grin a little bit. She had finally got what was coming for her.

Meanwhile, Danny was frantically running down the long, narrow path. She couldn't have gone too far, surely? She had to be around there somewhere.

"Ellie! Ellie! It's daddy! Come on, come back! You're safe!" He called in the hope that she could hear him. Soon he came to the end of the path to see a play park and a field. He ran across the grass until he could see into the park. To his relief Ellie was in sight. She was sat with her legs curled up to her chest under the slide. This was obviously the park that she came to with Dave hence why she knew the way. He ran towards the gate and sighed when he saw Ellie look up with tears dripping down her face.

"Come on, it's okay. Daddy's here." She got up and ran towards him. She hugged him tightly and cried into his chest. "Shh, shh. It's okay." He picked her up and began to take her back to Dave's.

They got to the front door and Ellie shook her head as she began to whimper again.

"I don't want to see Linda!" Danny stroked her head to calm her down.

"Okay, okay. We'll make her go. You don't have to see her. Just keep looking down at my shoulder yeah? You don't need to look. Daddy's got you." She nodded. He walked in and Clara and Dave jumped up in relief.

"Oh Ellie. Oh my god." Clara kissed her head and then kissed Danny on the cheek. Dave got up and smiled gently at Danny to which he returned the same.

"Of course she gets the sympathy." Linda made another snide remark. Dave stood in front of her with frustration.

"Yes she does. Because she's a six year old girl who's been through hell in the last few months. She's acting more grown up than you are." Linda shook her head in disappointment.

"Daddy." Ellie cried again.

"Okay, shh, shh." He looked to Dave who nodded.

"Leave please. I'll call you later." She went to protest but Dave was having none of it. "Don't argue, just get out." After a pause she grabbed her bag and her coat and left with a slam of the door. Dave walked over to the sofa, sat down and stared at the ground. He then sighed and looked up to Clara.

"Clara. Danny. I'm so so sorry. She wasn't meant to be here and I didn't know that Ellie would react in that way. I just-" Clara stopped him and sat next to him.

"Dad it's okay. This isn't your fault. If anything, you've done a good thing today. You've set Linda right." He nodded.

"She did deserve it right? You don't think I was too harsh?" Clara shook her head, trying not to look too happy about it all.

"She definitely deserved it! You put her in her place. So don't feel bad, she was in the wrong not you." He smiled a little and then got up to walk to Danny who was hugging Ellie tightly.

"I'm so sorry Ellie. She wasn't meant to be here, you know that right?" She looked up and nodded with tear filled eyes. "But you're safe now so don't cry. Come on, come and sit down." She nodded again so Danny walked her over to the other sofa where he sat her on his lap.

"Okay?" She nodded at Danny. Clara sat forwards a little bit to speak to her.

"Sweetie, what did Linda do to make you so upset?" She paused and looked to the ground.

"She scared me. And then Lily cried and I wanted to run away. She walked towards me and tried to grab me so I pushed her away. I'm sorry mummy. I didn't mean to make everyone cross." Danny kissed her head and stroked her arm.

"Honey you didn't make us angry. You did nothing wrong. Was that all that scared you or was it something else too?" She nodded slowly and looked at all three adults in worry.

"Yeah... Linda was in my nightmares so it scared me when I saw her. She did what she did in the dream, she tried to grab me and take me away. When Lily cried it made me think of when she tried to take Noah away in the dream. I had to run away to stop her from getting me." She began to cry again and leant into Danny's chest. He hugged her tightly. Clara, Dave and Danny all looked at each other in surprise. None of them knew what to say. Clara got up to sit on the same sofa as Danny and Ellie. Suddenly Ellie looked up. "I'm not in trouble am I?" They all shook their heads.

"No! Of course not!" She sighed and laid back on Danny again.

"Because me being upset and not wanting to see her makes you and grandad argue. And then you get upset and talk to daddy about it when me and Lily have gone to bed." Danny and Clara looked at each other with guilt. They hadn't realised how much the situation was impacting Ellie. She was so observant that she noticed everything from emotions to what people said. It made it hard to conceal the truth from her. "And grandad loves Linda so I keep making them upset with each other." Dave looked up at the mention of his name.

"Ellie, none of this is your fault! You don't need to worry about it, you've done absolutely nothing wrong. You're a very brave girl for telling us what's wrong, that's not easy to do... Your mummy and daddy only talk about it because they care and they want to make things easier. And as for me and Linda. Just because we... Because we love each other it doesn't mean that she gets to hurt any of you. You mean more to me than her. We all love you very very much so we're going to help you, yeah?" She nodded and smiled. She got up from Danny and ran to Dave. They hugged each other tightly. Clara sat back and thought for a moment. She had noticed how Dave had paused slightly before saying that him and Linda loved each other and how he had said that Ellie meant more to him than her without a second thought. It made her question how happy he actually was in the relationship. Was this a cry for help? Or did he just need time to think and talk over it?

Later on, Danny had taken the kids home and left Clara to speak to Dave alone. Once they had all left, the house was eerily silent. Neither of them knew what to say next.

"What a day, eh? That was not what I planned..." Dave sighed.

"Funnily enough, me neither. But it's done now so all we can do is look forwards right?" Dave nodded.

"I like your positivity." Clara sighed.

"But we will because that's what we always do. Anyway, being positive is better than being negative. You taught me that." He smiled a little.

"I'm finding it pretty hard to be positive right now... I don't really know what to do." Clara frowned.

"You don't know what to do with what?" He paused before answering.

"Linda. I don't know what to do with Linda... And our relationship." Clara sat forwards towards him slightly.

"Are you not happy in the relationship?" He shook his head.

"That's just it, I don't really know. I mean I make do but I don't know if I feel anything for her anymore. God that sounds harsh..." Clara shook her head.

"It's okay. She's not here so you can say what you like." He nodded.

"I just feel like since she's started being so insistent on splitting the family up we've become so distant. Like the spark has gone." Clara sighed.

"The real question is, do you still love her?" He looked up with a blank expression, not really knowing the answer.

"I love her enough. It's not like I'm going to find anyone else at my age." Clara put her arms around him and hugged him gently.

"Don't say that dad. You could find someone else easily... But be careful because once you've made the decision you can't go back on it. You need to work out what will make you happiest before acting on it. Linda is not going to take it lightly and the last thing I want to see is you getting hurt." He rubbed his hands over his face and sighed.

"I just don't know."

"Take time to think about it, there's no rush. If you decide that you want to stay with her then that's fine... But don't waste your life with her if you know that there may be someone else out there that you would like to spend it with instead. It's not too late to make the decision, like I said, you'd find someone easily. But in the meantime, I'm here for you. So if you need a chat or some advice, anything at all, I'm here." He nodded and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you." She kissed him on the cheek and smiled.

"I should get back really, see how Ellie is getting on." He nodded and they got up to walk towards the door. As Clara was about to open it they heard the key turning in the door and Linda marched in. Both Dave and Clara sighed. Linda scoffed.

"Still public enemy number one then." She pushed past Clara and didn't even care to apologise. Dave stopped her immediately.

"Are you surprised? Because I'm not, looking at the way you've been behaving. Are you not even going to say sorry to Clara?" She looked down her nose at them both and shrugged. With that Dave walked over to the table and grabbed her bag that she had just slung down. "Get out." Both Linda and Clara looked at him in shock. Clara was more surprised at the quick change of heart but Linda was angry.

"Excuse me?" He passed her bag to her with force.

"You heard me, get out." She looked at him, stunned.

"But where will I go?" He shook his head.

"I don't know and I don't care. I just can't deal with this tonight. Just please leave..." She went to protest. "No, I mean it. Get out of my sight before I do something that I'll regret." With that she left, obviously getting the message. Once the door had shut Clara walked over to him. She could tell that he was hurting.

"Are you okay? I can stay a little longer if you'd like?" He hesitated but eventually shook his head.

"No, no, you get home to Ellie. I'll be okay. I promise. I'll call you in the morning." She nodded and hugged him again. As she left the house she heard him begin to cry. It broke her heart a little bitt to see him in such a state.

Clara got home and entered the house slowly. She walked towards the kitchen to see Danny waiting for her. The kids were in bed so it was just the two of them. He stood up and walked towards her. As she looked up at him the tears began to fall. He reached over to hug her and she couldn't contain the emotion anymore. She sobbed into him whilst he stood with his arms around her protectively. She didn't know what to think or what to feel. All she could focus on was her dad and even then, she didn't know how to help him.

"Danny I don't know what to do. I just don't know." She kissed her head and rubbed her back soothingly.

"Neither do I but we'll sort it, together. Look at me, look." She moved her eyes upwards from his chest. "Everything is going to fall into place. I don't know when or how but it will. Anything you need you know I'm here for. So please don't cry... I hate seeing you cry." She smiled gently and kissed him softly. He then wiped her tears away gently.

"I'm sorry... Obviously I'm worried about Ellie but what happened just now with my dad really got to me. He's so broken and I don't think there's really any way I can help that." Danny sighed and took her hand. He pulled her into the living room where she told him the whole story.

"So how did Linda react when he told her to go?" Clara scoffed.

"She protested, tried to play the 'oh Dave where will I go?' card but he was having none of it. He said that he'll call me in the morning about it but when I left he was so upset. Of course though, him being him, he insisted that I came home and left him." Danny nodded.

"I think, as harsh as it sounds, you should leave him be for a little while. Obviously speak to him and be there if he needs it but he needs to make this decision for himself. Also he needs to make it in his best interests and to what he wants, not what he knows you would like. We can't influence him just because of how we feel about her because that's not fair. Obviously we are a factor in his decision but we can't take him away from his relationship if he wants to stay in it. All you can do is allow him to decide and then comfort him afterwards." She nodded. She didn't want to not be there for her dad but Danny was right. It wasn't her decision to make, it was his.

"You're right." He sighed and kissed her head.

"I know." She giggled. "But right now we've got a terrified little girl laying upstairs to sort out..." The smile dropped from both of their faces.

"The nightmares have definitely impacted her more than we thought. What happened with Linda today was weird... I mean we know that she doesn't like her but she never gets that upset, ever." Danny nodded.

"Exactly... Do you think we should talk to her about it?" Clara paused to think.

"Umm, yeah. I think we should. It would help to be able to understand what is going on inside her head." He nodded.

"Okay... All I want is to see her happy again. I miss her smile and her laugh. She's been so down lately." Clara leaned forwards to hug him.

"I know, me too. Bless her. Seeing her sad breaks my heart." He nodded.

"I know, but we'll get there eventually. Just like always." He looked up hopefully. They kissed each other softly and stayed within each other's arms.

**Bit dramatic &amp; a little sad... Sorryyyyy x**


	36. Chapter 36- Understanding

**Helloooo, kinda happy/sad chapter ahead, enjoyyyy ;)**

Understanding

Ellie strolled down the stairs the next morning looking tired and beaten. She was sick of feeling scared all the time and just wanted it all to go away. She walked into the kitchen to see Clara sat eating breakfast and reading a magazine, enjoying the peace whilst it lasted. When Clara saw her she put the magazine down and sat round on her chair so that she could hug her.

"You're back." Clara nodded.

"Yeah, I am now. Sorry I didn't get to see you yesterday evening, there were a few things I had to sort out with grandad and Linda before coming home." Ellie didn't reply, she just nodded slowly. "How are you feeling this morning?" She hesitated and tried to stop the tears welling in her eyes. Clara pushed her hair out of her face and sighed. "El, speak to me honey. Tell me what's going on in your head. I want to be able to help you." She shook her head.

"I can't." Clara held her around her waist.

"Why not sweetie?" She looked down at the floor to avoid eye contact.

"I can't explain it. I can't put it into words." Clara smiled.

"That's okay, just take your time. It doesn't even have to make sense, just try to get something out." She nodded.

"Can we go for a walk and talk about it?" Clara nodded and smiled again.

"Of course we can, if that will help you." Ellie nodded making Clara smile. She suddenly looked so grown up. She was no longer such a little girl, she had matured and become much more like Clara was at her age. That was something that Clara found daunting yet liberating. She loved watching her children grow up, it made her so proud.

They got up and walked to get their shoes on. Clara called up the stairs to Danny. He called back and then came to the top of the landing where they could see each other. "I'm just going to take Ellie for a walk and a chat." She winked slightly at him so that he knew what it would be about.

"Okay, take your time. See you in a bit." Clara nodded and smiled. She then blew him a kiss and got her coat on.

They headed for the park slowly but Ellie didn't say anything until she realised that Clara had noticed the silence.

"I don't know where to start mummy." Clara took her hand reassuringly.

"How about you tell me what happened yesterday?" She nodded, seeming to be glad of a prompt.

"I was okay at the start because me and grandad and Lily were just playing a game. That one that we always play." Clara nodded and smiled. "But then when Linda walked in I couldn't breathe and I stood up to get away from her. Grandad said that it was okay but it didn't feel okay because I could tell he was cross with her. Then she came to sit down but shouted too so Lily cried. It made me think of when she came and took Noah in my dream, I didn't like it... Then she sat on the sofa and came near me and I got scared. I couldn't breathe again and I got cross when she kept saying horrible stuff about you so I ran away. When I got outside I could breathe again so I ran away because I didn't want to see Linda. I know I shouldn't have ran away but I didn't know what else to do..." Clara nodded.

"That's okay, don't worry about what you did, we've sorted that... What did Linda do in the dream then? Why did she take Noah away?" Ellie started to talk again quite quickly. Now that she was walking she had a distraction so it was easier to say what was on her mind.

"I don't know why but I think it was because she wanted everyone to like her. Grandad was there too but he wasn't looking at her, he was looking at you. So she walked in to the room and took him off of me. That man was there too. They took him away together. It made me not like her even more because she was with him and I really don't like him." Clara looked down at her and then pulled her hand a touch to guide her over to the bench nearby.

"El, you do know that nothing is going to happen to you or anyone else don't you? We are all completely fine and we always will be. There's no need to worry about that. You're safe and so is Noah. Linda doesn't need to have anything to do with you if you don't want her to, we can arrange that." She nodded.

"I know. But I still keep getting scared. I can't help it, sometimes I just feel really scared and I can't breathe and-" Clara stopped her to avoid any more tears. They had had plenty of those throughout the last few weeks.

"It's okay, don't worry. What sort of things make you scared?" She shrugged.

"Lots of things. I used to get scared and worried before I got the dreams as well... I didn't tell you because I didn't want to make you sad. I'm sorry mummy." Clara sighed and hugged her tightly.

"Oh Ellie. You don't need to worry about that! You can tell me anything at all, wherever and whenever you like. I'm your mummy, that's what I'm here for." She smiled and nodded.

"Sorry... But after the dreams I have been getting more scared." Clara stroked her hair back from her face. They had left too soon for Clara to plait it so it was annoyingly falling in her face as a result.

"Do you feel scared or do you feel panicky? So you feel okay one minute and then the next minute you can't breathe and you feel like you need to get away from the situation?" She nodded.

"Yeah, like that. I need to run away so that everything goes back to normal. Nice and relaxed, just how I like it." Now Clara paused and looked across the field. Things were becoming more and more worrying now. Before it was a matter of calming down nightmares but now it seemed to be something much deeper and more difficult to fix.

"So is Linda one of the things that makes you feel panicky?" Ellie nodded.

"Yeah, I don't like seeing her." Clara smiled again. Suddenly things seemed to make a bit more sense now. It explained Ellie's constant odd behaviour around Linda and her urgency to get away.

"Well done for telling me, good girl. But I want you to know that you can always tell me anything, anything at all. Big or small. Important or not important. It doesn't matter what I'm doing or what I have on my mind. No matter what is happening you always come out on top. You are the most important thing to me, along with daddy, Lily and Noah. You all mean so much to me. So don't worry about giving me more to think about because I'll always be here for you." She smiled and hugged Clara tightly. Clara hugged her back and kissed her head. She loved Ellie so so much. Before finding Danny and having children she didn't believe that it was possible to hold that much love and affection for someone but now she believed it completely. There was nothing in the world she wouldn't do for her family.

They got home and Ellie went up to her room for a while. She needed time to relax and think about what she had said, it hadn't quite sunk in that she had actually spoken about it out loud yet. She had concealed it for so long that she had gotten used to it being her problem and hers only but now she felt happy that her mum knew too. It was one less thing off of her mind and her shoulders. Clara walked in to the living room and sat down next to Danny. She didn't say anything. She just sat and stared at the wall. After a few minutes Danny put his arms around her and, after a short hesitation, she leant into him and hugged him tightly, taking pleasure from his protection.

"I think it's more than just the dreams Danny. I think there's a deeper problem that she's had for a while now but she has chosen to hide it. I don't really know how to help her." He sighed and kissed her head. He then pulled away so that he could see her face.

"What did she say?" After a sigh, Clara told him everything.

"Right..." She smiled a little at his reaction, sensing some déjà vu.

"Yeah... That was my reaction too. I just can't believe that we didn't notice that something was wrong. I mean, as soon as she said how she has been feeling it clicked. I thought back to all of the days when she has been a little bit off and it makes sense. But at the time I was none the wiser." He nodded.

"We should have noticed, we really should have." He leant forwards to rest his elbows on his knees. He then rubbed his hands over his face. "God I feel so bad." She leant forwards and rubbed his back.

"Me too. Bless her." As Clara finished speaking they heard a creak from the door making them turn round. Ellie was stood there looking very worried and upset.

"That's why I didn't tell you mummy! Because it makes you upset and makes you say that you are a bad mum and dad when you're not!" She ran out of the room, upstairs and slammed her bedroom door. Clara sighed as Danny called after her.

"Oh great, that's just what we need." They both got up and headed up the stairs.

Clara knocked on her door gently but stopped when she could hear Ellie crying softly.

"Ellie? Let mummy in and we can talk about it yeah?" Ellie quickly called back.

"No! Because that won't make it all go away!" Clara looked at Danny who shook his head in regret.

"I know it won't but if you talk to me and daddy we can think about getting help from someone who knows how to fix it. If that's what you want?" There was a break of silence as though she was considering what Clara had said. After a second or two the door opened slowly so they both entered. Ellie was sat quietly on her beanbag looking out of the window. Clara and Danny both walked slowly to sit down beside her.

"Honey?" She turned round and began to cry again, she couldn't stop it. She jumped forwards and hugged Danny desperately. He held her protectively and rubbed her back softly.

"It's okay. It's okay. Mummy and daddy are here."

"I want it all to go away, I hate it. I want to stop worrying about things so that I can be normal. I want it to go away." She continued to sob into Danny's shoulder. A tear fell down Clara's cheek. She felt so guilty for not noticing that anything was wrong. Her little girl had been suffering so much and she hadn't even noticed. It also broke her heart to see her so upset. She hadn't ever seen Ellie this upset before so it was quite a shock to the system.

"Ellie, if I could make it all go away I would, without a second thought but you know me and daddy can't do that right?" She nodded slowly and then sat back on her beanbag. "So instead you need to try to explain it to us. How it feels, what goes through your mind and what sort of things cause it. Do you think you can do that?" She nodded again.

"Yeah but I can't talk about it all the time because I can only say it when I feel worried or sad. When I'm happy I don't think about it." Clara nodded.

"That's okay! You don't have to talk about it all of the time, you can just come and talk to us when you want to." She smiled a little bit and hugged Clara tightly.

"Okay."

"So what makes you happy then? What makes you most happy in the world?" She paused to think.

"Watching a movie with lots of popcorn with you and daddy... And Lily when she doesn't keep singing all the time." Clara and Danny laughed.

"Okay well let's go and do that then. Let's put that smile back on your face." She nodded and got up slowly. "You go on ahead and choose the movie, yeah?" She nodded again and left with a sigh. Danny put a hand on Clara's shoulder and smiled reassuringly.

"Don't blame yourself for this. It isn't your fault, it'll be okay." She smiled gently and quickly wiped away the tears that were falling down her cheeks. He kissed her head and took her hand.

As they got down Ellie had already put on the movie and seemed to be settling nicely. Even Lily was watching it quietly which was an absolute miracle. Danny walked in and sat down but Clara went into the kitchen to wipe her eyes first. She didn't want Ellie to see that she had been crying. As she entered she heard the familiar whirring noise that always filled her with joy and excitement. Soon enough the Doctor entered the room slowly.

"Am I okay to park here?" She laugh a little.

"Yeah, you're fine." He then looked up and stared a little closer at her eyes.

"Have you been crying? Are you okay?" Clara smiled and threw the tissue in the bin.

"Yes I have and yeah, I'm okay. Just some trouble with Ellie. But seeing you will cheer her up, come though." She lead him into the living room where Danny smiled warmly at him and Ellie jumped up to hug him.

"Doctor!" He hugged her back awkwardly and smiled a little.

"Hello! How are you!?" Her smiled dropped a little and she sighed.

"I'm okay... But I have something for you!" He smiled and sat down next to Lily who hugged him as well.

"Something for me!?" She nodded as she walked up to him with the card she had made a few days earlier.

"I made you a card to say thank you for saving the world and helping me by making the dreams go away. And to make you happy again because mummy said that you were sad." He smiled widely as he looked through the picture that had all been very carefully coloured in.

"That's lovely of you! Thank you very much! I feel better already." She smiled and went to sit back down next to Danny. The Doctor then gave Clara a look making her usher him into the other room.

"I didn't tell her what happened or anything, I just said that you wouldn't visit for a while as you were a bit upset, but you have come so all is good." He nodded and sat down at the table.

"Yeah, yeah, that's okay. I was kind of passing so I thought I'd drop in and say hello like you said to." She laughed.

"You were 'passing'? Since when do you pass by?" He smiled.

"Okay, okay, I planned to come but either way..." She nodded.

"No it's nice of you to come, it's good to see you." After a pause she spoke again. "So how have you been?" He smiled down at the table and began to fiddle with the card he had been given.

"Yeah, I've been alright I guess." She frowned.

"Just alright?" He shrugged.

"Yeah, alright. I mean, I've not been sad. But I've not really been happy either." She shook her head.

"So you've not been alright then." He looked at her, confused. "Doctor, I know what it feels like to not be happy or sad. To be in that dreadful in-between stage where you can't decide how to think or feel. It's lonely and it's definitely not alright." He sat back in the chair and sighed.

"Clara Clara. Always the over-observant one eh." She nodded. "Obviously I'm still upset over it all but I've moved on a little. It's just... I just don't have any direction in my life at the moment. I feel like I'm just cruising through space with no purpose, no plan. I'm just sort of there. And you're right, I am lonely. Sometimes you forget what it's like to have someone to talk to. I spend so long talking to myself now that I don't notice." She put her hand out for him to take.

"I understand... What if I made an agreement with Danny? What if I travelled with you once a week? Just one afternoon a week." He frowned.

"You don't need to do that. I understand why you don't travel anymore. You've got a family to think about. A life on Earth. It's not your fault that I'm lonely." She shook her head.

"I know don't need to but I want to. I want to make you happy again. I want to give you something to look forward to. Because I know that it would." He gave her a look that she knew meant that she was right. He couldn't deny the fact that he craved some company. He missed the old times, just like she did sometimes.

"Okay but don't do it if it's going to cause any problems between you and Danny. I don't want that at all." She smiled.

"Don't worry, all will be okay. Now come on, come and watch the movie for a bit." He smiled.

A few hours later, the Doctor said his goodbyes and left happily. Clara was so glad that he had come to visit. It seemed to make him so much happier. It brought the smile back on to his face and gave him something to look forward to. As he left she reminded him that she would talk to Danny about travelling. She was going to speak to him but she hadn't figured out when. Now wasn't really the time, Ellie was the priority. Clara went to sit back down but as she hit the sofa the doorbell rang. Danny laughed as she groaned whilst heaving herself back up. She got to the door and opened it quickly. She sighed a little when she saw Dave stood there looking rather sorry for himself. He came in and nodded over at Danny but moved to the side so that the girls didn't see him. Once she could see him in some proper light she looked at him in shock.

"Dad what happened!?" A large cut on his head shone slightly in the light.

"Linda..." She sighed and lead him through to the kitchen where her and the Doctor had sat less than a few minutes ago. He paused before speaking, as though he wasn't really sure enough in himself to tell her what was going on.

"How's Ellie?" Clara sighed.

"Umm, she's not too good. It's a long story that I'll tell you at some point. First, though, we need to talk about you. How are you doing? And what the hell happened?" He shrugged.

"I've made my decision. But obviously it didn't go down well." She nodded.

"So what's happening?"

"I'm leaving her." Clara tried to hide her relief and happiness as she knew that it was tough for Dave. No matter what had happened he still loved her so leaving her was bound to be difficult.

"Oh, right. How did she take it?" He shook his head.

"Not well at all. I mean really not well. I've got this to show for it." Clara sighed as he pointed at his head. He then winced slightly as he changed facial expression.

"What did she do this time? Throw a mug?" He shook his head.

"Close. But no, it was a plate." They both laughed a little, glad that they could see the funny side of things.

"Oh blimey. So she kicked off then?" He nodded.

"Yeah, big time. I pretty much had to wrestle her out of the front door so I'm dreading when she comes back to get her stuff." Clara laughed a little.

"What did you say to her?"

"That I felt like we didn't really have any connection anymore and that I don't really love her. That's when she threw the plate. I knew she would fight back but I didn't anticipate almost being decapitated by a flying piece of china." They both laughed.

"Well she always was unpredictable... But dad, seriously now, are you okay? It can't be easy on you, you did love her once." He nodded.

"I feel a bit odd. Like something is missing from my life but its not a bad feeling. It's more of a relief than anything else." She smiled a little. "And before you try and hide it, I don't mind if you're happy about it. I expected you to be to be honest." She looked at him with guilt.

"Dad I'm not happy about it really. I didn't like her and you knew that but that's beside the point. She was your wife and I had to accept that you loved her. So I am relieved that she's not going to be there to cause anymore trouble but I'm not happy that your relationship is over. I'd never be happy about that." He nodded and smiled. As he did he winced in pain.

"Have you been and got that checked out?" He shook his head.

"Nah it's nothing, I don't need to." She frowned.

"It looks pretty bad from where I'm standing. Come over here." He followed her over to the worktop where she sat him down on the stool. She pulled out the medical kit and made him sit still.

"Clara you don't need to do this." She shook her head.

"Yes I do, you don't want it getting infected. Now sit still." He smiled up at her as she rubbed it gently with an antiseptic wipe and began to put some cream on it. As she did Danny walked in happily.

"Everything alright?" Then he saw Dave's head. "Woah what happened to you?!" He sighed.

"Linda. She threw a plate at me." Danny looked at him in surprise. He couldn't make out if he was meant to laugh about it or if Dave was actually upset.

"Wow okay. What did you do to deserve that eh?" He said, trying to lighten the mood.

"I told her that I didn't love her anymore and that we're finished." Now Danny paused, feeling rather guilty for his lack of tact.

"Ahh mate, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" Dave shook his head but stopped when he got a stern look from Clara who was still trying to fix his head.

"Don't worry, honestly. It was going to happen sooner or later." Danny nodded. It went silent for a minute or two before Clara stepped in.

"Danny would you mind giving us a minute? I'll fill you in later, promise." Danny smiled.

"Yeah or course, take your time." She kissed him quickly and watched him walk back into the living room.

She turned her attention back to her dad now.

"So are you sure that you're okay?" He nodded.

"Yeah don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'll get off now, leave you in peace." She frowned.

"You don't have to. You can stay here for the night if you like, you don't have to go back home." He shook his head.

"No, no, it's alright. I think I'll be grateful of the peace actually." She nodded.

"And if she comes back later on?"

"I'll tell her where to go. Don't worry! It'll all be fine. I'll call you tomorrow." He got up and walked to the front door. "Oh and thank you for this." He pointed to the bandage on his head. She smiled and hugged him goodbye.

"No need. Any time. I'll speak to you tomorrow." He nodded and left. She stood in the hallway for a few minutes before going back into the living room to see that both Lily and Ellie had fallen to sleep. She smiled and joined Danny quietly.

"Everything alright?" She nodded and leaned into him. He put his arm around her and kissed her head.

"Yeah, I'm just worried about him. I think he's putting a brave face on but won't tell me what's going on in his head." Danny sighed.

"Hey, he'll tell you when he's ready. He's just broken up with his wife, it's going to take time to settle down." She nodded up at him. "And I know that he appreciates the help and support you're giving him now so don't worry about it. You're doing all you can." She smiled and kissed him softly.

"Wow, I'm guessing that helped then?" She nodded and they both laughed.

"Yeah, thank you Danny. I love you." He smiled and kissed her again. As they settled down they heard a cry from the baby monitor. She started to get up but he stopped her.

"No, I'll go." She nodded and watched him leave the room. She then looked down at Ellie and stroked her still tear stained cheek. She looked so cute when she was asleep. In some ways she wished that she could keep her there forever. Asleep and at peace, where no harm could come to her. She knew that wasn't possible though.

Danny appeared back in the room with a grizzly Noah in his arms. He had managed to settle him a little upstairs so not to disturb the girls.

"Someone needs a feed." Clara smiled.

"I guess that's my job then." He nodded.

"Oh I'd do it if I was able to, it would give you less stress." She kissed his cheek as he sat back down.

"I appreciate your offer." She winked. "But actually this is one of the parts of having a small baby that I don't really mind." He grinned.

"Good, because that means that you can relax and stop worrying for a while." She nodded as they both looked down at Noah lovingly. He was always at his happiest when he had just woken up. It was at times like these that Clara felt most happy, with her perfect family, in the comfort of her own home.

**Thank you so much for reading! You honestly have no idea how much it makes me happy to see that people continue to read this, thank you all so much!x**


	37. Chapter 37- Complications

**Heyoooo, very sorry that this is late. I've been so busy with school and I've been ill too :( **

**But anyway I hope you enjoy it! :) x**

**Ps it's very dramatic and rather sad in places, sorryyyyyy**

Complications

Noah grizzled and cried in his cot making Clara groan a little. He had woken a good ten times that night so she was feeling far from refreshed after her little amount of sleep. She began to heave herself out of bed but felt Danny's hand rest on hers. Without opening his eyes he spoke and began to get out from under the duvet.

"I'll go, you stay there." She nodded and closed her eyes momentarily. Danny began to walk around the room rocking Noah in his arms but the crying failed to cease. "Come on buddy. What's wrong with you today? You're wearing your mummy and daddy out." Clara smiled a little at Danny's soft speaking to Noah. His voice always became so sweet.

After another ten or so minutes Danny sat back in the bed with him and sighed. Clara yawned and sat up next to him.

"I don't know what's wrong with him? I fed him less than an hour ago and he's had plenty of feeds all night. His nappy is clean, right?" Danny checked quickly and nodded back to her. Clara sighed and felt his forehead. "Mmm, he does feel a little hot." Danny kissed his head.

"Should I get one of those temperature things from the kitchen?" Clara nodded and smiled.

"A thermometer?" He nodded.

"I knew that, I was just testing." She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. But yes that's a good idea." He nodded, handed Noah over to Clara and jogged out of the room. Clara sat up a little and readjusted him in her arms before sighing. Suddenly she heard a noise at the door which made her turn and look. Ellie was stood there rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"You okay, honey?" She nodded and walked around to Clara's side of the bed to sit down.

"Yeah."

"Did you sleep well?" She nodded again and kissed Noah's head. Rather than smiling slightly like normal he began to grizzle and cry even more. Ellie looked at Clara with confusion.

"What's wrong with Noah?" Clara smiled gently.

"He's a little bit poorly. But don't worry! He's fine really, just got a bit of a temperature." She stroked his head gently as he wriggled in her arms. He had the cutest big brown eyes. All you noticed as soon as you looked at him was his eyes. Big pools of love and humility.

Danny soon ran back in but slammed the door by accident making Noah turn and face it immediately. His eyes widened and he looked at Danny with shock. Ellie and Clara laughed.

"It's okay Noah! It's just daddy!" She kissed his head even more gently this time making Danny smile. He passed the thermometer over to Clara and kissed Ellie on the cheek.

"Morning biggest little Pink." Ellie laughed and hugged him tightly.

"I'm not that big daddy!" He smiled.

"I know you're not but that's a good thing! Please don't grow too big!" She nodded.

"I'll try! Ooh if you want me to stay little, does that mean I can eat less vegetables at dinner? So that I don't grow as strong?" Danny laughed and poked her sides making her giggle.

"Ooh nice try monkey! But you're not getting out of vegetable time!" She laughed happily in Danny's arms making Clara feel so much more relaxed. That was the first time she had seen Ellie smile honestly in around a week. She had missed it.

A few minutes later Clara spoke up.

"His temperature is 39 degrees Danny." She gave him a worried look. Danny sat forwards and felt Noah's head and then sighed as he looked at his little boy who was still crying constantly.

"That's quite high right?" She nodded. "I think we should go to A&amp;E, just to be on the safe side. He's still under four months old so it's recommended to check things out." Clara nodded again and handed him over to Danny to quickly throw some clothes on.

"Is he going to be okay!?" Ellie said to Danny with a worried expression on her face.

"Yeah of course! He's just a bit poorly and we don't know exactly what's wrong with him so we need to go and check out what it is." Clara called over to him.

"Danny can you call my dad? Ask him to come and look after the girls?" He nodded and grabbed his phone from the side.

Not long later they all headed downstairs to let Dave inside. Danny opened the door and he walked in slowly with his eyes to the ground.

"Dad?" He looked up slowly, leading Clara to gasp. "Dad... What the hell happened!?" There was a large bruise covering his left eye and most of his cheek. It was so swollen that he could hardly see out of it. He shook his head and looked away from her in shame.

"It's nothing." Clara shook her head and moved towards him.

"Nothing? This is not nothing! What happened?!" He shook his head.

"No. I'll tell you later. Noah is more important. Get him checked out first." She sighed. She wanted to help her dad but she knew that Noah needed to be seen to before anything became more serious.

"Okay but you will tell me everything when we get back. Yes?" He nodded. "Okay, we shouldn't be too long. Are you sure you'll be okay here?" He nodded again.

"Yes of course, we'll all be fine." She nodded over to Ellie who gave her a smile of reassurance.

"Well there's a bag of peas in the freezer if you need an icepack? We'll be back in a bit." They left through the door and headed to the hospital quickly.

As they were driving Danny spoke hesitantly.

"What do you think happened?" She shook her head.

"Well my money is on Linda... But I don't know that for sure. If it was her, she'll sure regret it. I'll make her pay." Danny said nothing. He could sense a rocky road ahead.

They ran into the reception and were glad to see that it was rather empty. A nurse walked along to the desk and began to type on the computer. As she looked up, Clara and Danny instantly recognised her. She had delivered Noah and been there the whole way though the pregnancy.

"Oh hello! Fancy seeing you here. How can I help you today? Everything alright?" Clara smiled gently.

"Not too great actually. He's got a temperature and hadn't stopped crying for hours now." The nurse walked around to them and felt Noah's head.

"Yes, he does feel a little warm. Let's check him out. Come this way." They followed her into a little side room where she took him over to the bed and opened up his top. "This is going to be a little cold, sorry buddy." She smiled as she put her stethoscope on to his chest and began to listen to his heartbeat. He began to squirm and cry making Clara move closer to him. She hated to see him cry. The noise pierced through her and made her heart go wild.

"Is he okay?" She looked up and smiled.

"I don't think it's anything serious. So you can relax about that." Clara and Danny smiled at each other in relief. "However he does have a rather high temperature and his breathing is quite erratic so I'd like to keep him in for a while today just to be on the safe side. Just because nothing serious is showing up now, it doesn't mean that it won't later I'm afraid." Clara nodded and sighed. She looked down to her poor little boy who was screaming his lungs out. She couldn't bare it anymore.

"Can I hold him again now?" The doctor nodded.

"Yes of course, I'm going to go and get some more equipment for some further tests then I'll be right back." They nodded and smiled as they watched her leave. Clara picked him up and began to sing gently to him and rock him side to side. He continued to cry and cry despite her best efforts.

"Danny he won't stop. Why can't I make him stop?" He sighed and walked to her side.

"He's probably very uncomfortable and doesn't feel good at the moment so he's using the only thing he can do to tell us. There's not much we can do. I know that's hard to accept but we've brought him to the right place. He's safe here. And don't blame yourself because it's not your fault that he won't stop crying. He still likes his mum being here." She smiled and nodded. She looked back down to him and suddenly felt extremely overwhelmed. Everything had built up and got too much, she couldn't contain it anymore. A tear fell down her cheek which Danny noticed immediately. "Come on Clara. You're doing so well... I wondered when this would happen because you've been amazing these last few days, really amazing. And then everything happened today and I could see it getting too much." She nodded and began to cry. She leant her head onto his side and let him hold her.

"I was trying to hold it back but I couldn't. All this stuff with Ellie, and then with my dad, and then the Doctor and now this. I don't know what to do." He nodded and continued to hold her.

"I know, I know. It all seems too much to handle and seems like we can't do it but it'll be fine because we can sort it out step by step. Think about it, Noah is okay because he's in safe hands at the moment. I know that's not reassuring you too much but at least you can stop worrying for now. And the Doctor seems to be a bit better, he's just being him really. You've done everything you can to help him and he knows that he's welcome at ours anytime he wants. He'll always have a place here. You've been the best friend he can ask for, so don't forget that. Your dad will tell you what's wrong later on and if you are right by saying that it's Linda then you've made a start. You'll be able to get though it together with me as a support. It will be okay I promise. Finally, as for Ellie, I don't really have a solution for that yet but she knows that she can talk to us anytime at all. She knows that we will help her at any cost and at the moment she seems a little happier. If we take things in little steps problems always seem smaller. Focus on one thing at a time. So right now focus on Noah and then when we get home you can focus on your dad." He kissed her head and held her protectively. "You're doing amazingly well and everyone loves you for that." She smiled gently and kissed him softly.

"I sure as hell hope I am." He smiled and nodded. As he looked up the doctor came back in. She looked over to Clara and hesitated. She didn't know whether to ask or not. Clara saw this so stepped in for her. "Sorry about this." She circled her face with her finger to make clear what she meant. "Lots of things happening at the moment so this kinda set me off." She nodded.

"Ah I see. Well your husband seems to have it under control so I'll not get involved." They all laughed. "If it's any consolation, I may know what's wrong with this little one." She pointed to him who had been laid back on the bed by Clara. "There's a flu virus going around at the moment and, although it's rare for a baby young as Noah to get it, his symptoms match up with the description. This means that it's nothing too serious unless his temperature gets worse or he has any breathing difficulties. So I've spoken to one of the senior doctors and he said that you can take him home but just keep a very close eye on his temperature and his breathing. Anything appears to be odd, bring him in immediately. But, with any luck, it should wear off within about two or three days." Clara smiled and nodded.

"Thank you so much for your help." She picked up Noah and did up his little coat again as Danny said the same to the doctor.

"You're welcome. I hope everything turns out okay at home." Clara smiled up at her.

"Thank you." The doctor nodded and left the room.

"Come on, let's get home." She nodded at Danny and they left slowly.

They got home to an amazingly quiet house. Ellie and Lily were snuggled up on the sofa under a duvet watching tv as Dave stood by the door. He had obviously been pacing up and down, coming up with an explanation to tell Clara.

"Hi, everything go okay?" Clara nodded.

"Yeah, he's got the flu so we need to keep a very close eye on him in case it gets any worse but other than that, all should be fine." Dave nodded and smiled.

"Oh good, it's a relief that it's nothing too serious." Clara smiled briefly. She handed Danny the travel cot and kissed him on the cheek.

"Can you keep an eye on him while I go and speak to dad?" Danny nodded.

"Yeah sure." She smiled and turned to face Dave.

"Kitchen. Now." He nodded and walked quickly. Clara followed him and closed the door behind her.

"Clara it's nothing too bad, don't worry about it." She shook her head.

"Yeah, so you keep saying but from where I'm standing it looks pretty bad. So come on, what happened?" He paused.

"Linda came back... And it all kicked off again. God I feel so stupid. I couldn't even stop her from getting in the house let alone stop her from doing this." He pointed to his head.

"She did that to you!? What happened?" He winced slightly as he moved.

"She started shouting and banging on the door so I opened it to tell her to leave but she was having none of it. She barged her way in and started yelling all sorts. She walked over to the living room and started to smash up photos of family... She picked up the one of me, you and your mum and threw it across the room... That was when I got angry. I shouted back at her but she came closer and kept hurling threats at me. I grabbed her arm to take her out of the door and she punched me." He paused when he felt Clara hold his hand. "There was no look of shock on her face. There wasn't even any regret. It was as though she didn't even care that she had done it. I looked at her and saw someone who I didn't know. She's not the woman I fell in love with anymore, I don't know what's happened to her." Clara smiled gently at him. She hated seeing him so sad. He had those eyes much like Clara's that radiated emotion from them making it impossible to hide true feelings. That was something that had stayed within the family. Clara had them and so did Ellie. Those big pools of emotion.

"Dad, can I ask you a question?" He nodded. "Has she... Has Linda ever hurt you before?" He breathed deeply.

"No, not physically. Verbally, though, yes." Clara felt tears welling in her eyes again. How could this have been going on without anyone knowing? Dave noticed and held her hand again.

"Please don't cry. I know it's not okay and that its not right but it's sorted now. She won't do it again." Clara shook her head.

"And how do you know that? You didn't think she would do it again last time and now look at you! No, no. I won't let it happen again. You're going to get your stuff and stay here. You're going to stay here until things calm down." He pulled his hand away and shook his head.

"No you don't have to do that. I need to be at home."

"No you don't. You need to be with people who can help." He stopped her and jumped up from his chair.

"I want to be at home!" Clara looked at him in shock. He stepped back too, as though he himself hadn't anticipated the way he had spoken. After a pause he sat back down and let a few tears escape.

"Oh dad. What's wrong? I know what you've told me but there's more isn't there. What's wrong, talk to me." He took a deep breath and sat round to face her.

"I can't stay here because she might come to find me. I don't want to not be in if she comes because she'll come and look for me. The first place she'll come is here and I'm not letting that happen. The last thing we need is for Ellie to be upset again and by the sound of it, she's a lot worse than what you're saying. It's better if I stay at home so that nothing bad happens to all of you. You don't need the hassle right now." Clara shook her head and wiped her tears.

"Dad, don't ever say that. It's not hassle if it means something to you. Anything that effects you matters to us. You're our family and we want to help you." He sighed through his emotion.

"But I don't want to hurt you." Clara smiled.

"Nothing that Linda can do is going to hurt us, I promise. At the moment we need to focus on you because you're the one who is hurting." He nodded.

"Okay, thank you."

"No need to thank me." She winked at him, making him smile. "So why don't we go and get some of your stuff from home and then you can stay here for a while, yeah?" He nodded so, after Clara had notified Danny, they left quietly without disturbing the girls.

A while later there was a knock at the door. Danny walked idly towards it but paused before opening it when he recognised the person on the other side. She knocked again and began to shout. He couldn't just ignore it could he? So he opened it slowly, still holding Noah in his arms.

"Is Dave here? Dave! Come here now!" She spoke directly to Danny and then shouted through the house managing to unsettle everyone. Noah and Lily began to cry and Ellie began to panic. Danny looked at them in worry.

"I think you should leave. He's not here okay." She stayed stood at the doorstep without so much as a step.

"Where is he then!? I know you know Danny. Don't lie to me!" Danny stood a little closer to her.

"Linda. I don't know where he is. Please can you leave." She shook her head.

"No I won't!" Danny went to protest but he stopped himself when Clara's car pulled up on the drive. She looked round and walked towards Dave when she saw him. He grabbed his overnight bag and ignored her voice. "Dave. Dave stop! Dave!" He shook his head.

"Go away Linda." She ran in front of him and stopped him.

"No, no, no. You don't mean that. I'm sorry okay. I'm sorry. Can we at least talk?" He shook his head.

"I'm not doing this now. Please get out of my way. Just leave now." She stood to the side and scoffed.

"Oh yeah, run back to your perfect family. Your psycho daughter, slave son in law and your bratty grandkids." Clara seethed. How could someone go so low?

"I'd leave now if I were you because I am very close to replicating what you did to my dads face onto yours." She laughed.

"Is that a threat!?" Danny stepped forwards.

"Yes it is. Believe me, leave now while you're still in one piece because Clara's not the only one who is ready to do something everyone will regret. No one talks about my wife and my kids like that. No one. And no one treats Dave like that and gets away with it. So take your posh handbag and your old granny car and get out of our sight." She stood back with offence. After beginning to fight back but being stopped by Danny's evil glare, she held her hands up and left across the driveway.

They all walked back inside where Dave chucked his shoes off and turned to Clara and Danny.

"Thank you for that. Do you mind if I go upstairs for a while?" Clara shook her head.

"No of course not, take all the time you need." He nodded and disappeared out of sight. Clara could tell by his face that he was beaten. She also knew that the next few days were not going to be easy.

Danny began to settle Noah back down and recheck his temperature. Clara looked over to the living room and ran over to Ellie as soon as she saw her. She was curled up on the floor in the corner of the room crying softly to herself. Clara sat down next to her and placed a hand on her arm.

"Ellie?" Ellie looked up and immediately jumped into Clara's arms.

"Is she gone mummy?" Clara nodded quickly.

"Yeah, she's gone, she's gone. Don't worry, shh, shh." She reassured her and quietened down her crying.

"Is grandad still here?" Clara nodded.

"Yeah, he's just upstairs. He's going to stay for a little while until he can go back home." She nodded slowly.

"He's not with Linda anymore is he? They've had an argument haven't they." Clara smiled a little at her innocence.

"Yeah, they have had a big argument so she won't be anywhere near us anymore." Ellie sighed.

"I'm happy about that... I'm not happy that grandad is sad and has a poorly eye but I'm happy that I won't have to see Linda again." Clara nodded as Ellie climbed back onto her lap and cuddled up to her. Clara looked over to Danny who was settling down Lily and Noah and smiled. For some reason they both felt rather relieved. They felt as though they had a place to start the recovery from rather than travelling in a vicious circle like they had been for the last few months.

After putting Ellie and Lily to bed Danny and Clara sat on the sofa quietly together.

"That was one hell of a day." Clara nodded in agreement.

"It sure was. So much for having a quiet Sunday." He laughed.

"That never seems to happen in this house does it." She held out her hand for him to take.

"No but I usually wouldn't change that for the world... But there are quiet a few things I would change about today." He nodded and kissed her head as she laid into him, being careful not to disturb Noah in his arms. "Everything is such a mess. I don't even know what to do about it... Dad's so broken, he's been so damaged by this but he won't tell me exactly what he's thinking because he cares too much about us. He doesn't want to upset or impact us. And I still haven't told him about Ellie. I was going to today but then everything went wrong." Danny sighed.

"I think he'll speak when he wants to. When he feels ready he'll open up. He knows how he feels in himself, he knows what's going on so I'm sure he's trying to work out how to deal with things. All you can do is what you are already doing now, supporting him. And as for the Ellie thing, we have time to tell him that. We don't need to do it immediately." She nodded.

"True, and as for this little man." She stroked his cheek softly and smiled. "He seems to be okay now, so that's one good thing." Danny smiled.

"Yeah, I checked his temperature an hour ago and it had gone down a lot, and he's stopped crying and has gone to sleep so that's a good sign." They both looked down at him lovingly. There was something about his face that made them fall in love a little bit more every time they looked at him. He was so perfect. They sat in silence for a few minutes when Clara suddenly remembered what she had to ask him about the Doctor. She hesitated but then forced herself to say it because if she didn't now, she would regret it.

"Danny." He looked up and smiled. "I've been thinking about the Doctor and what I can do to help him. He's so so lonely and really needs someone to be with him sometimes so I was wondering if-" Danny interrupted.

"Yes you can." She looked at him with confusion.

"How do you know what I'm going to ask?" He smiled.

"I kind of just guessed... I could tell by your face that you were worried about what I would say and there aren't many things that make you like that. And he said that he was lonely the other day so, yeah." She smiled gently, always so perceptive.

"Okay, well guessed... It'll only be like once a week and not even for that long. Just to give him something to look forward to." Danny nodded.

"That should be okay, on one condition. You don't go doing anything dangerous. I don't mind you being with him, I just don't want you to get hurt." She kissed his cheek.

"I promise. There will be no recklessness." They laughed a little. "Thank you Danny."

"That's okay Clara." They kissed each other softly. Clara pulled away making him look at her.

"Oh and one more thing. Thank you for standing up for us all in front of Linda today." She shook his head.

"It was nothing really. I wasn't going to let her get away with what she said." She nodded.

"Well, I loved the 'granny car' part you added in. And, I must say, it was all very attractive." He scoffed and poked her in the side.

"Oi you." She laughed.

"What!? It was just an observation." They laughed and kissed each other again.

**Thank you very very much for reading! See you in the next chapter!**


	38. Chapter 38- Easter Surprises

**Hey, I know that Easter has passed now but I wanted an excuse to make everyone happy and excited so I thought I'd do an Easter themed chapter. Things are finally looking up ;) enjoyyy x**

Easter surprises

"Shh, be quiet Lily! It's meant to be a secret!" Ellie whispered to Lily as they entered through their parents bedroom door. Clara and Danny smiled at each other discretely as they pretended to still be asleep. The girls began to crawl around the bedroom floor as quietly as they could manage. Clara and Danny had no idea what they were looking for but it was funny nevertheless. After a few minutes Lily let out a big sigh and stood up.

"I can't see anything Ellie! He's not here." Ellie stood up and shushed her.

"Shh! You've made him run away now. We have to be quiet to see him!" Lily shook her head and walked over towards Clara.

"I want to cuddle mummy instead." Clara smiled widely and turned over to lift Lily into the bed. She looked absolutely adorable. With her Easter bunny button-up pyjamas, her half done up hair that drooped over her face and her eyes still clouded with sleep. It was one of those moments where Clara could almost explode with love and gratefulness. Lily laid down in between Clara and Danny and leaned into Clara. Clara kissed her head and hugged her tightly.

"What are you looking for monkey?" Danny laughed a little as he propped himself up on his elbow to see Ellie still looking around inquisitively.

"Ellie said that the Easter bunny is coming today and that if we get up early we can see him leaving us some eggs." Clara and Danny looked at each other and giggled. Lily sighed hugely again. "But I don't think he's here because he wasn't under the bed and that's the best place to hide ever." Clara kissed her head again.

"Well maybe you missed him then because he is a very busy bunny. He's got lots of other little boys and girls to give Easter eggs to. But if you've been a good girl, which we all know you have, he may have been really nice and left some for you." She looked up and smiled. Her eyes widened just about as far as possible.

"Really!? Can we go and find them!?" Danny laughed.

"Well, mummy and I have a few surprises for you later on so you'll have to be a good girl and wait for a bit. Then maybe you'll find some chocolate just for you." She nodded and moved over to hug him. Clara rolled over to see Ellie stood by the bed.

"Alright munchkin?" She nodded.

"Mummy... Is there a surprise for me too?" Clara smiled.

"Honey, of course there is! As if we would give one to Lily and not give one to you! Come on." Ellie smiled and jumped into the bed with Clara.

"Happy Easter everybody!" Lily exclaimed with a rather interesting pronunciation of the word 'everybody' making them all laugh.

"Happy Easter to you too sweetie." Clara said as she kissed her on the head. As she did so Noah started to move in his cot right on cue. She rolled over and got up slowly. As she walked over she saw that for once he was not crying. He was laying on his back contently with his feet in the air. She smiled and tickled his tummy making him wiggle and fall onto his side. She laughed and picked him up gently.

"Noahhhhh." Lily called as Clara sat down. "Good morning baby brother." She kissed him on the head and started to play with him gently as Clara laid him down close to her. Clara and Danny smiled at each other, Lily was so good with him. It warmed their hearts.

After breakfast Ellie and Lily didn't get up and run off to play like usual, they sat quietly looking at each other and giggling. Clara and Danny grinned. They then looked at Dave and they all smiled after latching on to what they were waiting for.

"So what do you two want to do today then?" Ellie and Lily looked at each other hesitantly, not quite sure what to say. Danny joined in with Clara's game as the look on their faces was worth it.

"I think we need to go food shopping. Ooh and we could clean our trainers from our walk the other day?" Both girls shook their heads.

"No! That's boring!"

"Boring? Well, what else do you want to do then?" Ellie looked at them with confusion as though she couldn't tell if they had actually forgotten or not. "No ideas? Well we may as well all go back to bed then eh?" Soon Ellie couldn't contain herself anymore.

"EASTER EGGS!" She shouted as Lily nodded in unison as Clara, Dave and Danny looked at them with shock.

"Easter eggs?! And why would you two be getting Easter eggs!?" Ellie hit her head with her palm.

"Because it's Easter, silly!" Clara laughed as Danny continued on the joke.

"Is it? Are you sure?" Ellie nodded.

"Daddy yes. It is Easter." He laughed.

"Okay, well I don't know where the Easter eggs are then? I can't see any? Can you?" They shook their heads. "Oh no wait! What's that up there?" He pointed to the shelf above the table where an egg was sat waiting. Both girls leaped up to grab it whilst giggling with excitement.

"How about you crack it open and see if there's anything inside?" They nodded and both started to hit it with their hands. After a few valiant attempts Lily shook her head and held her hands up.

"Nope. It's too hard." They all laughed. Lily was such a character, she always managed to make everyone laugh. Danny stood up and smiled.

"Let me try. With my big daddy muscles." He winked at Clara who scoffed. "Oi." She laughed and kissed him on the hand. Soon enough he had cracked it open leaving a piece of paper inside it. Ellie picked it up with a confused look on her face.

"What's this?" Danny shrugged.

"I don't know, what does it say?" She turned it up the right way and read off it slowly.

"It says 'To Ellie and Lily, there are some surprises for you today because you've been very good girls. Go to the back door and wait for your daddy to tell you what to do to find them. I hope you like what I've got you! Love from the Easter bunny.'" Both of their eyes widened.

"The Easter bunny!" Lily called. They jumped up and ran to the door as quickly as possible leaving the adults to follow.

"Okay so mummy, grandad and I had a meeting with the Easter bunny a few days back and he told us to give you some instructions. You have to be really good girls and follow them, yes?" They both jumped up and down nodding as they did so. "In the garden there's eggs hidden all around so you need to take one of these each." He handed them both a little basket. "And go round nicely to find them all. Also there's one bigger present for you both but you'll have to find the eggs first!" They nodded excitedly. "Are you ready?!"

"YESSS!" They shouted. Danny laughed and opened the door to let them free. Dave and Clara followed him outside along with Noah in Clara's arms. They stood happily watching them search high and low. Danny put his arm around Clara and kissed her head.

"You okay?" She nodded and smiled gently.

"Yeah, it's so nice to see them both so happy. If they're happy, I'm happy too." He grinned.

"Bless them, they're loving it." She nodded again.

"Yeah, they deserve it after all they've been through. They deserve their day of fun and laughter." They both smiled at each other and then at the girls who were running around and giggling with each other.

Soon they ran over to Danny.

"Look! Look! Look how many we found!" Danny laughed.

"Wow! The Easter bunny must like you two!" He quickly counted up how many each of them has and then smiled. "I think you've missed some, there's definitely some more out here!" They looked at each other and then ran off again. Dave and Danny followed to lend them a helping hand. Clara watched as they tried to give the girls subtle clues but ended up having to show them where the eggs were. It made her laugh. Truly laugh for the first time in a while. Danny noticed this and it made him smile a little bigger and laugh a little harder himself. He had missed her laugh.

They headed inside to the living room where Ellie and Lily emptied their eggs out onto the floor in separate piles. A sad look appeared on Lily's face as she noticed how few eggs she had managed to find compared to her big sister. Ellie saw this and began to count both of their eggs so that she could give some of hers to Lily to equal how many they had.

"You can have some of mine, don't worry Lily." A wide smile appeared on her face as she began to look through the ones she had been given.

"Thank you Ellie!" Ellie smiled and then looked up to Clara and Danny who were smiling too.

"Good girl Ellie, that was really nice of you." Clara said with praise making Ellie look very proud of herself.

"Now, there's one more thing for each of you, your main present. But you'll have to come outside to see that one." They followed Danny out into the front garden as Dave grabbed the camera. There was a large box sat on the grass which confused Lily greatly.

"A box?!" Danny nodded.

"Yes, but what's inside the box?" Ellie walked up to it and looked at the picture on it. Her eyes widened and she gasped.

"Is this for us?! Really?!" Danny laughed.

"Yes! All for you!" She then looked over to Clara for a second reassurance. Clara nodded and smiled.

"Yes, it's for you two! For being such amazing girls. You've been so so good and grown up lately so we thought you deserved this." Ellie jumped up and down and started to kneel down next to the box. But Lily stood there looking a little confused.

"What is it?" They all laughed. Ellie held her hand and pulled her towards the box to show her the picture.

"It's a trampoline Lily!" Now she smiled and started to get excited.

"Ooh I like those!" Clara, Dave and Danny all laughed.

"That's a good job then isn't it!" Dave said.

"Can we make it now!?" Danny nodded.

"Yes we can, but we need to take it into the garden first." They nodded and let Danny pick up the large box. They then continued to jump up and down and follow him excitedly into the garden. Dave walked over to Clara and put an arm round her. She smiled up at him and leant her head onto his shoulder.

"Well today has been a success then." She laughed and nodded.

"It has indeed..." She started to speak again but stopped herself. Dave noticed so obviously began to inquire.

"What else were to going to say?" She shook her head.

"No, no, it's nothing." He frowned.

"I can tell when you're lying Clara..." She sighed at him. Sometimes she wished she could put on a more convincing show.

"I just... I can't help but think that all of this could have been prevented." Dave frowned again.

"What do you mean?"

"Well think about it, all the stuff with the Doctor came up and then it was you and Linda and then Noah. And all of that has been mixed in with other things too. I feel like if I had payed a little more attention or if I had been a little less stressed I may have noticed Ellie's problem and would have been able to support Lily more too. And Danny for that matter." Now Dave sighed.

"Clara, everything that's happened has been unfortunate and hasn't been too nice but that doesn't mean that you could have changed the Ellie situation. Anyone would have been distracted in your position, not just you. You've been fantastic with the girls lately, especially Ellie, despite everything. Things have gotten rather messy in some places but the whole way through you've been everyone's rock. You've not stopped once to think about yourself, you've been so good for everyone. Always being there for help and support. So don't keep beating yourself up for what's happened because you've been amazing. And you can't change it now so we need to focus on the future." She nodded and smiled before kissing him on the cheek. "Clara, you're the bravest, kindest and the most loving person I know, don't ever forget that." He winked and then placed his arm around her shoulder again leading her into the garden.

When they got to the garden Danny was sat on the floor with a screwdriver and what looked like ten different sized poles in his hands. Ellie was holding up the instruction booklet for him as he held the screws in his mouth. Suddenly he dropped the part that he was holding together and it fell to pieces again with a crash.

"Oh for-" He looked over to Clara who reminded him not to swear as she knew exactly what he was going to say next. He sighed and put the poles down.

"Want a hand?" Dave called over as he laughed slightly at the mess.

"Yes please mate." He nodded and headed over. Clara laughed and sat down on the grass next to Lily who was making a daisy chain whilst happily singing to himself.

"You alright monkey?" She nodded and smiled but then looked away when the sun went in her eyes.

"Yeah, do you want to help me make a daisy chain mummy?" Clara smiled and nodded.

"I'd love to!" She put Noah down on the grass softly making him start to wiggle around a little. Lily laughed. Clara liked to lay him down on his back because the faces he made always managed to make everyone else laugh, especially Lily. Her little laugh melted Clara's heart so she made sure that she heard it as often as she possibly could.

"Mummy you have to pick the daisies for me. Okay?" Clara nodded and looked at Lily with a frown. "Oh, I forgot. Can you pick the daisies for me please?" She repeated, emphasising the 'please'. Now Clara smiled and started to pick them slowly.

"How many do you need?" She took a moment to think before answering.

"Lots and lots. We're going to make one as long as that bridge we went to the other day." Clara laughed.

"The tower bridge in London!?" She nodded and smiled. "Wow we sure are going to need a lot then!" She nodded again and got back to work. Clara watched her happily. After a pause, Lily started to speak again.

"Mummy... Can I ask you a question?" Clara nodded.

"Of course you can sweetie, what is it?" She paused again.

"Is everyone okay now? Is everyone happy again?" Clara sighed and paused for a second. She then ushered Lily to come and sit on her knee.

"Come and sit here sweetie... I know things have been quite up and down lately but everyone is getting happier now. The Doctor is okay isn't he? We saw him the other day and he looked very happy to see you." She nodded. Clara thought it was best to hide all of the details as Lily wouldn't understand anyway and would start to worry more. The last thing she wanted was to see that. "And Noah is better now isn't he. He's not poorly anymore." She nodded again and Lily laughed a little.

"Yeah he's better now. That makes me happy because when he feels better he smiles. That makes me smile too." Clara smiled and kissed her on the head.

"It makes me smile too! And Ellie is okay today and is okay most of the time now, yeah? She does get upset but we all help to make her smile again don't we. She knows that we're all here for her to talk to if she needs it." Lily nodded again. "And grandad looks happy too doesn't he, look at him today! He's not sad, not really. Linda has been making him sad but soon she's going to go away forever and then grandad will be happier again. And seeing you makes him smile anyway so he forgets about her when he's here." She smiled and leant into Clara who put her arms around her.

"Okay, that's good then. I was worried." Clara sighed.

"Don't be worried honey, everyone is fine and we're all having a great day! You can go on the trampoline later and show me your tricks you learn at your club at school!" She nodded excitedly.

"I can do this really cool one where I jump onto my bottom and then flip over!" Clara gasped.

"Really!? You have to show me that one! That sounds so cool!" Lily smiled and then hugged Clara tightly.

"I love you mummy. Even more than all of my chocolate and the trampoline!" Clara laughed.

"You better do!" She tickled her a little. "I love you too darling." Lily hopped off her lap and then carried on picking up the daisies and threading them through the stems carefully. Clara couldn't help but sit and smile from ear to ear. When she finally looked away she saw Danny watching her. She hadn't realised that he was looking so she smiled back, slightly confused. He left Dave and Ellie screwing the metal together and came to sit down on the grass. As he did he tickled Noah's tummy making him squirm again. Lily laughed making them all smile. He then kissed Clara on the head and let her lean into him.

"What were you looking at from over there mister?" She said jokingly. He laughed.

"You. And Lily and Noah of course, but mainly you." He said it into her neck so that Lily was unable to hear.

"And why's that then?" She said playfully.

"Because you're beautiful." She shook her head and leaned back into him. "What? You are! And I'm the luckiest man alive." She smiled and kissed his cheek. Lily held up her daisy chain to show Danny and Clara with a huge smile on her face.

"Look! Look! Look how long it is!" Danny grinned.

"Wow! I've never seen a daisy chain so long in my whole life!" Lily laughed.

"Well that's very good then because your life is very long! You're old!" He gasped and grabbed her round the waist, pulling her into his chest and laying her down on him as he laid back. She laughed and tickled him as he tickled her back.

"Did you say daddy was old!? Did you!?" She laughed and screeched.

"No daddy! I didn't, I didn't!" He tickled her some more.

"Are you sure!? Really!?" She nodded and smiled. "Oh, maybe I heard you wrong then?" She nodded again.

"Yeah, your hearing is bad too because you're old." He gasped again, along with Clara who was loving the sight of the mockery.

"Right you! Come here!" He tickled her again and rolled her around on his chest. They all laughed happily.

A while later Ellie stood up and threw the instruction booklet on the floor.

"We're finished! Look!" They all looked over and Lily sprinted to Ellie's side.

"Wow, well done! Good job!" Danny winked at Dave who laughed back.

"Haven't lost my DIY touch just yet." He pulled his hand up and saluted at Clara who cringed and laughed.

"Oh god dad. We don't need to hear any of your DIY stories again thank you." They both laughed.

"No, no, I think I want to hear these!" Clara hit Danny on the chest and sighed.

"Please no." She laughed. Ellie and Lily looked at each other, not really understanding the joke.

"Go on you two! On you get!" Danny called. They both clambered on excitedly.

"Please be careful!" Clara called. Her motherly paranoia and worry had just heightened. Danny kissed her on the cheek again to calm her down. She smiled back happily.

As the girls were taking it in turns happily to show all of their gymnastics Clara heard a noise at the back gate. She turned round to hear it but ignored it first off. Then she heard it again so got up to see what it was. As she did Danny called after her and Dave looked round. She got closer and it swung open. Linda marched in and almost barged Clara right over. However, Clara managed to jump back in front of her and stop her before the girls could see.

"No, stop right there. You're not coming in, we've had a nice day and I don't want the girls upset again. Back out the front, now." She shook her head and started to look over her shoulder to spot Dave.

"Oh good for you, I'm so glad." She said sarcastically. "I don't care about them anyway, I want to speak to my husband." Clara scoffed and was ready to throw a remark back but she stopped herself.

"Dave, not your husband. As you don't deserve to call him that anymore. He's round the back. I'll go and get him if you go out to the front." She was about to protest but Clara stepped in. "Please, I'm warning you now. You are not wanted here and you know that so I suggest you just do as I say or you won't see Dave at all." She hesitated but gave in and headed back through the gate. Clara ushered Dave over. "Guess who's popped in to say hi." He looked over and sighed. "She wants to talk to you." He nodded nervously. "Want me to come with you?" He sighed and shook his head.

"No, it's okay. I think I need to sort this one myself." She smiled and rubbed his arm.

"Okay, I'll just be here if you need me." He nodded and headed to the front.

Linda walked towards him quickly. He held his hands out at her to stop her before she could get too close.

"No, don't. Please." She stepped back slowly and sighed. "What do you want? Why are you here?" She stepped forwards again making Dave move away. He felt so uneasy around her now, she had been so unpredictable. He'd almost say that he was scared of her. He was scared of what she could do next because she had already nearly sent him to A&amp;E twice now, no one wanted a hat trick. He wanted rid of her but he couldn't move on. Every time he looked in the mirror and saw his face he remembered her again. He hated it.

"I want to speak to you. I want to sort things out." Dave said nothing but moved back a little more. "Dave come on. Please. I'm sorry. You know I'm sorry." He shook his head.

"No, we're not going to sort things out. What don't you understand? I don't love you anymore. I don't want to be with you." She looked at him, shocked. As though finally something he had said had made an impact on her.

"Dave you don't mean that. You don't. That's what Clara wants you to think. She's made you say this." He looked at her with disgust.

"First you come back here after being warned not to and now you accuse me of not knowing how I feel about my own marriage? No, Clara did not make me say this. She has not made my decision for me. I can just take a look at my face to see what I need to get away from. Look at what you did to me. Doesn't that make you feel guilty?" She shook her head.

"You made me do that. You made me angry. You started it all." He stepped forward now. Time to show her who's boss.

"No. I didn't. I told you how I felt calmly and collectively. Like any other human being would. It was your decision to throw a plate at me and punch me in the eye. I didn't make you do that. You made everything worse than it needed to be like usual. I've spent so many years blocking out the most obvious thing here. Hiding from the truth that I didn't want to have to face. You're manipulative, calculating and obnoxious. You don't stop hurting people's feelings until you've got your way. If this would have happened a few months ago you would be getting your way right now but not this time. I'm ending this now. You can get your stuff from my house. You can answer a call from our divorce lawyer and you can get out of my life. You can let me get on with a family that I love to pieces. I don't ever want to see you near any of my family again." He turned and walked away. She followed him to the gate which he shut before she could enter. He stood with his back to it for a second, not moving.

"Dave, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I'll do anything, anything at all!"

"Nothing you can do or say will make a difference! You've brought this on yourself so you can deal with it!" It went silent on the other side of the gate and then he heard a car engine start and drive away from the house. Clara appeared at the side of the house.

"Come on." He smiled and took her hand. They sat back on the grass watching Ellie and Lily on the trampoline again. Dave sat in reflection. He felt proud that he had finished it. He felt like he was free to do what he liked now. Linda wasn't coming back. He'd won.

**I'm not 100% happy with how this chapter turned out to be honest but hey ho. Thank you for reading!x**


	39. Chapter 39- Breakdown

**Hola everybody! Sorry, it's kinda not stayed happy... Yeah just a warning... Also sorry but it's quite long oops x**

Breakdown

Clara rolled over to see Danny slowly opening his eyes to the alarm ringing on his bedside table. He rolled over to turn it off and then looked back at Clara. He kissed her and smiled.

"So you're absolutely sure about going to back to work today? Noah's only five months old, you still have time that you can take off." She shook her head and smiled.

"No, I'm ready. I know it's early to go back but so much has happened that it's felt like an age since I've been there. Dad can cope, he loves being with the kids so that's all sorted." He nodded.

"Okay, I just don't want you to go back too early that's all." She sighed and put her arms loosely around his neck.

"Stop worrying, it's all going to be fine. Anyway they need me back, what with the English team being at a shortage and my classes nearing their GCSEs after having supplies for months. I'm more use there than I am here." He nodded, still not convinced. "And we'll be in the same building for a whole day for once so you can come and check up on me as many times as you like." He smiled and nodded.

"Okay, I can deal with that." She kissed him and then sat up to go and open the curtains. Once she had done that she left Danny with Noah, grabbed her dressing gown and headed downstairs. As she passed Ellie's room she came to the door hesitantly. Clara walked inside and kissed her head as she hugged her. Ellie then held her hand out for Clara to take and led her to sit on the bed.

"Are you alright honey?" She shook her head and leaned into Clara. "What's wrong? How are you feeling?" She let a few tears escape and spoke through her sobs.

"I feel weird." Clara sighed and kissed her on the head again.

"In what way? What feels weird?" Ellie looked up at her with tear filled eyes.

"My tummy feels all sick like it's hungry but I'm not hungry, my heads all fuzzy and my hands keep shaking." Clara sighed again. She knew exactly what was wrong now that Ellie had explained.

"So you feel all anxious again?" She nodded. "What are you worried about?"

"I don't want you to go to work today. I don't want to stay here while you go. I want to stay with you." She started to cry a little more. This was what happened now whenever she was anxious. She began to feel ill and would cry. She never wanted to leave Clara but today she knew that that wasn't possible at all. It wasn't her fault but it broke Clara's heart every time.

"Oh Ellie, I'll be back before you know it! And you'll be here with grandad, Lily and Noah so you'll have a nice day. I think grandad's taking you to the park today, the one with the big swing that you like and the cafe that does the cool ice cream." Ellie shook her head.

"I don't want to stay here. I want to be with you mummy." She had started to sob even more now, it made Clara want to hug her forever.

"Nothing bad is going to happen! You'll have a lovely day. I can let grandad allow you to use his phone at lunch time so you can call me and tell me what you've got up to so far." She looked up and shook her head again. Clara could see in her eyes that being separated from her wasn't really what was upsetting her. It was what she said when she felt anxious as she felt safe with Clara just as any other eight year old would with their mum. What was really wrong was a lot deeper. Clara didn't think even Ellie knew what caused all of it. It just left her broken and helpless, she hated it and Clara could tell that. "Come on, come and sit downstairs with me. We can watch tv for a few minutes while I eat my breakfast, yeah?" She nodded slowly and got up to grab her dressing gown.

They got downstairs and Clara let her sit down on the chair as she grabbed her cereal.

"Do you want anything?" She shook her head sadly. "Not even a drink of water?" She shook her head again. They headed into the living room and sat down. "Tv?" She shook her head once more and huddled closely into Clara. It was one of those moments where Clara could do nothing but sit and hold her for a while. Trying to do anything else caused a complete meltdown and even more tears. A few minutes later Danny walked downstairs and into the room. Clara made a sad face at him to let him know roughly what was going on. He nodded understandingly and then crouched down by the sofa where Ellie was sat.

"What's up monkey? You not feeling great today?" She nodded her head but kept it tightly dug into Clara's chest. Clara shook her head at him and he sighed. "Do you think you can tell me and mummy what is making you sad? Can you tell us what's making you feel ill?" She shrugged.

"Maybe." She said through her tears.

"Okay good girl, so what's making you sad right now?" She sat up a little and looked at her mum and dad nervously.

"I don't want you do go to work. I want you to stay here. Mummy said earlier that you can't stay at home and I get that but I still don't want you to go." Danny nodded.

"Why don't you want us to go? Do you think something is going to happen when we're gone?" She shook her head a little.

"I know I'll be okay with grandad, we will have fun but I'm scared." Clara frowned.

"Of what honey?" She paused to think and then looked at Clara.

"Last time you were at work you got really hurt and the building fell on you. What if that happens again!" Clara shook her head.

"Ellie, that's not going to happen again! That was a bad accident its been sorted now, we'll be okay. I promise, we'll be safe." She nodded but Clara and Danny could tell that something was still bothering her. "Is there something else?" She nodded but buried her head back into Clara.

"I can't explain it, I can't. It's just there and it won't go away. It never goes away!" She started to cry again making Clara and Danny look at each other helplessly. After a pause Danny spoke again.

"Do you think you could write down how you feel? Instead of having to say it to mummy and daddy?" She shrugged.

"Maybe." Danny nodded and picked up the nearest piece of paper and a pen. Ellie sat up and leaned forwards on the table. She then paused and looked at Danny and Clara.

"We'll go into the kitchen to make a cup of tea while you write it down, yeah? We're only next door." She nodded and started to write slowly.

Clara leaned heavily on the kitchen worktop and looked out of the window. Danny flicked on the kettle and then moved to her side. She turned to him and he could see the tears glistening in her eyes so he hugged her tightly.

"She hasn't done this in weeks, I thought Linda going had made some progress but now we're back to square one again." He sighed.

"I know it seems like that but we may be able to help her now that she's opening up a bit more. She knows that we're here for her, she knows that she's safe." Clara looked up at him.

"I just hate seeing her like this. There's nothing I can do to stop her pain, I hate that." Danny nodded.

"So do I but you've done so well this morning. If you hadn't have been so good with her she probably wouldn't be writing that note about it all next door right now." She pulled away slowly to make the cups of tea.

"It doesn't feel like I've done much." Danny sighed.

"Well believe me, you have. You've been amazing as normal." She smiled gently. She then watched Danny step forwards when Ellie appeared at the door.

"I've finished... It doesn't really make sense though." Danny smiled and sat her down on the chair.

"That's okay honey, well done. You're doing really well." She smiled a little bit and then rested her head on the table. Danny took a moment to read what she had written down, Clara watched him anxiously. Once he had finished he took a deep breath, placed it down on the table and wiped his eyes. Clara looked at him with surprise. Danny barely ever cried and right now he was on the brink of tears. She suddenly began to dread reading what was written down. She broke out of her trance when he heard Danny move to face Ellie.

"Come here." He held out his hand for her to take and she moved on to his lap. He held her tightly and sighed. He felt so helpless, his poor little girl was so upset and all he could do was hold her. He never wanted to let go. "Why don't we go upstairs and get dressed? You can pick your favourite outfit." After a hesitation she nodded. He held her hand and they headed out of the room. He looked at Clara as he left so that she knew why he had done so. He had guessed that she wouldn't want an audience whilst reading it.

She sat down slowly and took a deep breath before picking up the paper and beginning to read.

_ I'm really scared and I don't know why._

_ I don't like going out because it makes me nervous and I feel sick and dizzy. _

_ I don't know how to explain it._

_ I don't like it, I don't want it anymore. I want to be happy but I can't. _

_ I hate being sad because it makes you sad too. _

_ I don't want to make you sad because then you have more to worry about. _

_ I don't like making you cross because you're worried._

_ Please make it go away mummy and daddy. _

Clara took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. She didn't know what to think or what to feel. She felt numb apart from the overwhelming feeling of sadness and guilt. The part that made her most upset was the way that Ellie felt bad for being sad. She should never have to feel like that.

She got up and walked up to Ellie's room. Danny had managed to crack a smile on her face for the first time today. Clara watched them from the doorway with tears falling down her cheeks. She was so spaced out that she hadn't even noticed that Ellie had walked over to her.

"Mummy. I'm sorry. I've made you sad again, I'm sorry." Clara shook her head and picked her up. She hugged her tighter than she ever had before and cried silently into her shoulder.

"It's not your fault Ellie. Don't ever think that. This is not your fault. We're going to sort it, we're going to make you feel better. I don't care what it takes, daddy and I will find a way to sort this." Ellie nodded. Danny held back his tears too as he watched Clara break down in front of him.

They left Ellie getting ready for a few minutes and went into their room to get ready for the day that neither of them wanted to have to face after the morning they'd already had. Clara sat on the bed and stared out of the window. Danny sat next to her and pulled her into a hug.

"You're right, it will be okay. We'll get help." She didn't move. "It's going to be fine." Danny said, both to reassure her and himself.

Dave arrived soon after and could sense the sadness in the house. He let himself in with the spare key and ran up stairs. He looked into Ellie's room and smiled. She smiled back, he noted the year stains on her cheeks. He then knocked on Clara and Danny's door and entered when he was given the okay. He sighed when he saw that they had obviously been crying too.

"What's happened?!" Clara sighed.

"Ellie's had a huge meltdown and its all got too much really. She wrote down how she felt and what she was thinking because she couldn't find the words to say it to us. That's when we both broke down. I can't deal with seeing her this sad..." Dave nodded sympathetically as Clara passed him the note. He didn't say anything more, sensing that neither of them wanted to talk about it. After he had read it he took a deep breath and sat on the bed.

"Is she okay now?" Clara shrugged.

"She's a bit calmer now, she's getting dressed so that's taken her mind off of it all. I don't think she's okay at all though." Dave nodded.

"What are you going to do about it all then?" Clara and Danny looked at him as he asked the one question that neither of them had an answer to.

"I don't know, I don't really know what we can do." Danny said.

"There must be something though? There's people that you can talk to. People who might be able to help?" Clara looked at him and sighed.

"I don't know dad." He nodded.

"Well if anything, it's worth thinking about." Both Danny and Clara sat quietly looking down at the floor. Dave could sense their defeat. "Come on, you've not given up have you?!" Clara looked up and shook her head.

"No! No, not at all. It's just been... Difficult."

"I know it has, of course it has but Ellie needs you two right now. I know it's not easy to think about what to do next but there's a little girl across the hall who's crying out for help. It's our job to get her that. It's not my decision but I'm here for you whatever you decide." Clara said nothing but acknowledged her dad leaving to see Ellie. A few minutes later, after letting what her dad had said sink in, she looked over to Danny who was staring at his hands that were placed nervously on his lap. She moved closer to him and hugged him gently.

"My dads right you know." He nodded.

"I know he is. I just don't know where to get help from."

"We can research it, we can go to the doctors." He nodded again.

"We need to ask Ellie if that's what she wants first though."

"We will, we will. But for now I think we need to get dressed and get on with the day because sitting here isn't helping anything." She got up and headed for the bathroom. She was acting as though she was okay with it all but she really wasn't. Watching your child break down into tears and not know why was the hardest thing ever. However, hearing what her dad had said had made her want to help even more. It wasn't that she didn't want to in the first place but she just hadn't felt the urge to get on with it. Her dad had given her that, like he always did.

They got downstairs and saw Ellie sitting quietly on the sofa. They both went and sat with her.

"Mummy and daddy are going to go now. But we'll be back as soon as we can." She nodded slowly. "You're going to have a lovely day with grandad, Lily and Noah, yeah?" She nodded again.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Clara asked. Ellie hugged her quietly.

"Yeah. I'll be okay." She hesitated. "Can you ring me at lunch time so that I can talk to you?" Clara nodded.

"Of course. Now have a nice day, we'll see you later." She nodded. "We love you very, very much." She smiled and watched them leave through the front door. She then smiled at Dave and ran upstairs to her room.

Clara and Danny got out of the car at the school car park after a silent journey that was usually filled with chatter and laughter. Danny waited for Clara to walk round to the same side of the car as him and then he held out his hand. She took it and cuddled up towards him as they walked towards the doors.

All was momentarily forgotten as they entered the building as many of the staff and students were very happy to see Clara back. The staff room was filled with chatter and the occasional photo of Noah being shown around followed by a chorus of 'awws'. Although, it wasn't until Clara got to her classroom and sat in her chair that she really felt like she was back. She didn't realised how much she had missed it. Before she could think anymore about it she was made to spring into action as her first class came in. She couldn't help but sigh a little, year 11s...

"Hello everyone, take your seats." Many of the class looked round and started to smile at her.

"Miss you're back!" They said happily. It made Clara happy to know that her students missed her and that she made a positive effect on them, it made her job worthwhile.

"Yes, I'm back, and sooner than I should be so think yourselves lucky." They all laughed. "Couldn't leave you with anymore supply teachers now that exam season is quickly approaching." Lots of groans arose from the class. "Oh come on, you'll all be fine. Give me a few weeks and you'll be throwing out those A stars." She winked. She started the lesson and, once she had gotten into the swing of it, actually started to enjoy it.

A while later Charlotte, a student that Clara had become quite close to over time as she was the daughter of one of Clara's friends, put her hand up. She walked over and crouched beside her.

"What can I do to help you?" She went ahead and asked her question and listened intently as Clara answered. As Clara was about to stand up again Charlotte started to speak again but stopped herself. Clara noticed this and sat back down. "Is something else wrong?" She looked to her friend next to her and then turned back to Clara.

"I don't know if this is rude to ask... But have you been crying? You just look a little sad... I was, well we were, just wondering. We just wanted to check, you know... If you are okay-" Clara nodded and smiled.

"No no that's not rude at all. It's okay to ask something like that when the person you are asking can tell that you have good intentions, which I can see you two do. So strictly between us..." She sighed. "It's been a tough morning. Family matters. But it's all okay. Also I think I'm rather sleep deprived, having a five month old baby does rather wear you out." They both laughed.

"Did you have a girl or a boy?" The other girl asked.

"A little boy, called Noah. Would you like to see a picture of him?" They both nodded so she grabbed her phone and showed them one she had taken the other day of him smiling in Danny's arms. They both grinned.

"Aww miss! He's so cute!" She smiled.

"Thank you. And thank you for asking about me, that was nice of you." They smiled at each other again and Clara stood back up.

Lunch time soon rolled around and Clara was in a surprisingly good mood despite the worry about Ellie obviously. Danny knocked on her door as she was tidying the classroom. Her year 8s clearly didn't know how to use a bin yet.

"Hello, good day so far?" She smiled back, walked over to the shelf and began to talk.

"Yeah, it's been good thank you. Better than I expected actually. How about you?" He smiled gently.

"Yeah, it's been alright I suppose. Failed at teaching some pupils part of their syllabus and ended up showing them pictures of Noah instead." She laughed slightly.

"Funnily enough, I was doing the same thing, bar the maths..." He nodded up to her, obviously not in the best of spirits. "Why did the maths go badly? What happened?" He sighed.

"Nothing much, it was just one of those days where so many people asked questions that I didn't manage to get as much done as I wanted to. We're pressed for time before the exam season too so, I dunno, I just feel a bit bad." She nodded with understanding.

"I know how you feel, but don't worry too much. You'll have the class again tomorrow and you can pick up where you left off. They'll come to you at break time of after school if they want extra help won't they. They know you're always willing to help." He nodded.

"I suppose so, I think I'm a bit distracted today as well though. This morning didn't exactly set us up for a good day." Clara smiled and hugged him.

"It was pretty rough. I've had better, I'll be honest." She walked to her desk and grabbed her phone. "Speaking of this morning, we need to ring Ellie." He nodded and shut the classroom door so that they could have the phone on speaker. Clara dialled the number and Ellie answered immediately.

"Mummy?" Clara smiled a little at her voice, it sounded so sweet on the phone.

"Hello sweetie. How're you doing?"

"Okay, it rained so we didn't go to the park but we've watched a movie instead. We tried to teach Noah how to play snap with the cards as well but it didn't really work." Clara and Danny laughed.

"Aww, I think we'll have to wait until he's a little older for that honey. At least you're having a good day though." It went quiet for a second.

"Ellie?"

"Is daddy there too?" Danny spoke up.

"Yes, I'm here too."

"Good, when you both get home can you come and see me in my room? I want to talk to you about something."

"Of course we can."

"Thank you."

"Okay then sweetie, we need to go now. So have a good afternoon and we'll see you at around four-ish."

"Okay, love you. Bye."

"Love you too Ellie, bye." She hung up.

"I wonder what she wants to talk to us about." Clara nodded.

"Mmm, I don't know but something about how she said it has made me nervous." Danny stood up and stroked her arm.

"It'll be okay, what ever it is. We can sort it." She nodded. Suddenly Danny's stomach began to rumble making them both laugh. "Hungry?" He nodded and smiled so they headed off to the canteen.

They got home in reasonably high spirits despite the situation. Clara had been so bored at home that it was a relief to go back to work. Not that she found the kids boring or that she didn't like being with them, spending time with them was her favourite time of the day, it was just that work gave her something to focus on. She liked that. They walked in and said their hellos.

"Hiya, good day?" Dave asked. They both nodded.

"Yeah, it was good actually, how about you? Everything gone smoothly?" Dave nodded.

"Yeah, we've been good. Ellie calmed down a little once you had gone. She has still been quite quiet and uptight but there's been no crying." Clara nodded.

"Okay good, at least she calmer." Dave smiled.

"She's in her room now though. I think she wants to talk to you two." They nodded.

"Do you know what it's about?" Dave sighed.

"I think I know roughly but I'll let her tell you." Cara smiled and they both headed up the stairs. Danny knocked on Ellie's door and entered slowly.

"Hello honey, good day?" She was sat on her bed quietly with her hands on her lap. She's looked very tense indeed, Clara noticed it as soon as she saw her.

"Yeah, it was nice." Danny and Clara sat down either side of her.

"So what did you want to say to us then? Is there something wrong?" She shook her head and then hesitated.

"No... I mean, yes, a little bit." Danny held her hand reassuringly.

"What's wrong?" She paused to think how to order her words.

"Well, I wanted to say sorry for being sad this morning. Because I made you both sad too and made you worry about me." Clara shook her head.

"You've got nothing to be sorry for. If you're upset you can come and tell us, anytime anywhere. You know that. You're allowed to be sad sometimes, it's good that you told us. So don't be sorry. Me and daddy will always worry about you because we love you very much. So don't think that it's bad for us to do that." She nodded, seeming to relax a little more.

"I don't know why I got really upset today though. I've been okay for a while now. So I don't really know what happened." Danny smiled at the innocent look on her face.

"That's okay, you don't have to know why. There's nothing bad about that. As mummy said, it's really brave of you to have told us in the first place." She nodded again.

"You know the other day you said that we can go and talk to someone who knows what's wrong with me?" Clara nodded. "Can we go? I don't really know how to tell them how I feel but I think it might help because I don't want to feel sad anymore." Clara smiled.

"If that's what you want then yes, of course we can. Don't worry about not knowing what to say, me and daddy will help you and we can think about what to say before we go." She smiled.

"Okay... You don't mind do you?" Clara and Danny both nodded quickly.

"No of course not! As long as it will help you, we don't mind. We'll do what ever you want to do. Mummy and I love you very very much so don't want to see you sad, going to a doctor is a very grown up decision for you to make. We'll be with you every step of the way." She smiled and hugged them both tightly.

"Can I go and play with Noah and Lily now?" Danny and Clara nodded. She smiled and ran off down the stairs. They both remained seated for a second whilst it all sunk in.

"Okay?" Clara nodded and smiled, a little sadly though so Danny pulled her into a hug. "Ellie's done the hardest part for us you know. We don't need to ask her and talk to her about seeing a doctor, she's already decided. She's a smart girl, I think she knows what will help her." Clara sighed and sat up a little.

"True, she's so brave... I just, I guess I feel a little sad that she can't just talk to us about it. I mean, I know that we're hardly experts or anything and that we can't really give a solution but surely talking to us helps her?" Danny nodded.

"I get that, but talking to us does help her. Just look at this morning. She spoke to us then so that now we understand how she feels a little more. Talking to a professional doesn't mean that Ellie thinks any less of talking to us. It just means that we can get some help, some actual help. She loves her mum very much and knows that you're always there for her." Clara nodded.

"Yeah, I guess so." She kissed him on the cheek and sat back against the wall in thought.

**Thank you very much for reading! Sorry about the sudden sadness, it had to happen ;) x**


	40. Chapter 40- Medical Attention

**Helloooooo, *emotion warning for the words below***

Medical attention

Ellie woke up early. She sat on her bed trying to control her nerves. She knew that going to see a doctor was right, it was also what she wanted, but that didn't stop her from being terrified. She had tried to plan what to say with Clara and Danny but it had all made her more stressed. It was like there was this thing in her head, pulling her back and strapping her down. She couldn't speak about it, she couldn't get rid of it. It followed her everywhere, haunted her as she left the house. Seeing a doctor seemed like the only option left. She was a smart girl, she knew what she needed to do, even if it was out of her comfort zone.

Clara came into her room quietly get her up but was surprised to see Ellie already awake.

"Morning, are you okay?" She nodded weakly and continued to fiddle with her hands. Clara sighed and sat down beside her. "You should have come and woken me. You didn't have to sit here on your own." She shrugged.

"It's okay, you need your sleep. I've just been thinking anyway." Clara nodded.

"Thinking about today?" She nodded back. "Ellie, you know that it's not too late to pull out, no one would be cross or upset. You don't have to do it if you don't want to, it's completely up to you." She looked up at Clara suddenly.

"No, no, I do want to go. I do mummy... I just, I'm worried about what to say. I'm scared that if I don't tell them how I feel very well they won't help me and will just send me home." Clara sighed and kissed her head.

"Ellie you'll be absolutely fine! You just need to explain what you've been telling daddy and I and how you've been feeling and they'll see that they can help you. If you feel like you don't want to say anymore or you want some help just tell them or look over to me and your dad. We'll be there to help you out." She nodded and smiled. Clara could tell that this was clearly something that she wanted to do because she hadn't started to stress as much as normal. Before anything that she didn't want to do she would panic a lot more. Clara just prayed that it all was going to go okay because she didn't know how many more times she could sit and watch her daughter break down in front of her and not know what to do about it.

Ellie and Danny had gone downstairs after getting dressed for some breakfast. Lily had joined them too, Clara could also hear Dave just arriving to look after the other two whilst they were out. Despite this, she stayed sat on the bed holding Noah and watching him sleep. For some reason she didn't feel like going to see everyone at all. That was unusual for her. It was as though she thought that the longer she stayed upstairs, the longer it would be until they had to go to the hospital. She knew it would help Ellie but there was something about taking her to the hospital that she hated the idea of. So much had happened there, bad things that she couldn't ever seem to forget, every time she found herself going back it send shivers down her spine. It made her nervous even thinking about it.

A few minutes later she was distracted from her thoughts as she heard Danny come in and sit beside her.

"You ready to go? It's nearly time." She nodded slowly. Danny sighed. "Come on, I know this isn't our ideal situation but it'll help Ellie. That's what matters right?" She nodded and smiled.

"Yeah, sorry. Of course it is." He smiled back but could tell that she was hiding how she felt.

"It's alright to be scared you know. That's normal. So don't feel like you need to hide it from me at all." She smiled at him, she loved how he always knew how she was feeling. It meant that she didn't need to explain it as much, which she was terrible at doing.

"I know it is but I feel like I should be so much happier that she has made a decision to help herself. One that is going to make a difference. But all I can feel is dread and guilt." He pulled her into a hug, minding not to knock Noah as he did so.

"I understand that, I really do. I feel the same so I think we just need to take it as it comes. Let's just see what happens eh?" She nodded and kissed him softly.

"Okay, let's go." He nodded and they headed downstairs.

Ellie was quiet in the car, she didn't feel like saying much really. Clara and Danny didn't say much either, they thought it would be best to keep Ellie as calm as possible. If keeping quiet made that happen then they were happy to do it. They pulled up in the car park and heard Ellie sigh a little bit.

"You ready honey?" She nodded, picking up her coat.

"I think so..." Clara smiled and they headed for the reception. Clara took Ellie to sit down in the children's area as Danny went to check them in.

"Hiya, Ellie Pink, here to see Doctor Jacobs?" The receptionist nodded and smiled.

"Okay, please take a seat, we will call you through in around ten minutes." He smiled back and sat next to Clara. Ellie moved to sit between them for comfort. As the minutes went by she started to jog her legs up and down and look around the room quickly. Soon her breathing became more erratic and she started to panic. Clara and Danny sat her back a little bit and smiled at her.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. You're okay. Mummy and daddy are here. It won't be long now." She took a deep breath and leaned into Clara. Danny and Clara looked at each other with worry. Maybe this wasn't going to go as smoothly as they first thought.

True to her word, the nurse came back to the room around ten minutes later.

"Ellie Pink?" Clara and Danny smiled and stood up, each holding one of Ellie's hands. They entered the room they had been assigned to and led Ellie to sit down next to the doctor. She shook her head and huddled into Clara's side. She smiled at the doctor who smiled back understandingly. She sat quietly on Clara's knee and the doctor leant forwards to talk to her.

"Hello Ellie. I'm Doctor Jacobs. How are you today?" She looked up a little bit.

"Scared and a bit sad." Clara rubbed her arm reassuringly.

"Well that's not good is it!? We'll have to fix that won't we?" She nodded.

"Can you fix me?" She asked confidently, much to Clara and Danny's surprise.

"I might be able to, yes. But do you think you can tell me what is making you sad and scared first?" She nodded a little bit.

"Maybe..." He nodded.

"Would it help if I asked you questions that you can answer?" She nodded. He smiled and stood up. "Okay then, good. Come over here with me Ellie." He led her over to a sofa and a table on the other side of the room. As she sat down he grabbed a puzzle from the cupboard and placed the box on the table. "Do you think you can make this puzzle for me? I've been trying for ages and I can't do it!" She laughed a little bit and nodded. "Okay good." He observed her for a few minutes before he started to try to find out some more about her. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" She nodded as she concentrated on the puzzle.

"Yes, I have a sister called Lily who is four and a baby brother called Noah. He's really cute."

"Do you get on well with them?" She nodded. "What sort of things do you like to do with them?"

"We like to go to the park, the one by our house with the big slide. My grandad takes us all the time." He nodded and smiled.

"Is there anything you don't like doing with them?" She paused to think for a second.

"I don't like going to places that have lots of people in them or to places that I'm not used to. But that's not because I don't want to go with Lily and Noah, it's because I get scared and I can't breathe." Now he looked at her more closely and frowned a little. Clara and Danny watched inquisitively.

"Does this happen a lot of the time?" She nodded. "Do you know why you don't like going to places like that?" She shook her head.

"No but it makes me sad. I got scared today too because I was coming to see you." He nodded.

"Do you feel scared at school too?"

"Only when we go on a trip or do something that's not in my routine."

"Okay. How do you calm down when you feel scared and you can't breathe? How do you make yourself feel happy again?"

"I talk to my mummy and daddy. They make me happy again." That seemed to reassure him a little.

"That's good. Wow! You've nearly finished that puzzle!" He smiled and nodded. He picked up some of the last few pieces and helped her to complete it.

"Oh look! It's a dinosaur!" She smiled widely.

"It is! Do you know what type of dinosaur that is?" She shook her head.

"My daddy makes me watch Jurassic Park with him but I don't really listen. I like My Little Pony more." They all laughed.

"I don't blame you really. I quite like My Little Pony too actually. Don't tell anyone though! It's our secret!" She nodded and laughed. He stood back up and smiled at Clara and Danny, leaving Ellie playing with some Lego bricks. "Okay, that's the observation part done. And you'll be relived to know that I'm not too worried about anything she was doing at all. She made the puzzle very easily so must be intelligent for her age and didn't seem to have any problems concentrating with it." Clara nodded slowly.

"There's a but isn't there." He smiled.

"Yes there is. But don't be too concerned by that. I think I'll be able to help you. The next step is speaking to you two without Ellie. So would you mind if one of the nurses took her to another room to play while we did that?" They shook their heads.

"No, of course not." He nodded.

"Okay great, I'll just go and get the nurse." Clara got up to sit next to Ellie.

"Honey, the doctor is going to bring in a nurse who is going to take you next door to play for a few minutes while daddy and I have a chat. Is that okay?" She hesitated but nodded. As the doctor entered with the nurse she looked back to Clara and panic flew through her eyes. "It's okay, it's okay. We'll just be a few doors away, I promise. We won't be long and then we'll come back and get you. Go with this nice lady, yeah?" She nodded and stood up. She walked over to the nurse hesitantly, looking back over for their reassurance before leaving.

Once the door had shut, the doctor came back over.

"So what happened just then, does that happen often?"

"Yeah, it's happening more and more now." He started to take a few notes on his paper.

"And what are the main things that usually trigger it?" Danny and Clara looked at each other in thought.

"Anything out of the ordinary like she said earlier."

"Going to places without me and Clara usually scares her too. And spontaneity, she likes to have a routine." The doctor nodded again.

"Okay, how long would you say this has gone on for? When did it start?"

"I'd say around 6-8 months ago. And it's getting gradually worse. It really started to effect her though after Clara and I had our accident." Now he looked up a little.

"What accident was that? If you don't mind me asking." Danny shook his head.

"No, no, it's fine. At the school where we both work, there was an explosion and we were trapped inside. Clara was heavily pregnant and I was quite badly injured so it took a toll on us all. Especially Ellie." He nodded and clicked open a few pages on his laptop.

"Would that be when you..." He started to read off of his screen. "Acquired a shattered femur and a broken arm?" Danny nodded.

"Yes, but I'm well into recovery now so we try to bury that in the past." Clara smiled a little, staying quiet for now.

"I've been looking through both of you're medical records just to get a picture of what's been happening and it seems like there's a long list. Has there been many accidents that Ellie has seen and lived through or are they more in the past?" Danny sighed.

"Unfortunately we haven't been too lucky the last few years. A lot has happened and she's seen quite a lot." The doctor nodded inquisitively.

"Would you mind elaborating?" Danny sighed and looked to Clara who turned her eyes to the ground.

"Well there's the school thing that we've just said, um, Clara was in a coma for a week after Noah was born which was obviously upsetting for her, I was in a car crash which was also not so nice and Clara's dad's ex-wife has continued to make things difficult. She's gone now but she made problems at the time." Danny stopped the list now. He wasn't sure how much longer he could go for. Talking about it all brought back so many memories that they wanted to leave in the past.

"Right. And did Ellie show any reaction to all of this? Other than the panic attacks that is." Danny sighed again, he was going to have to tell him about the nightmares. He couldn't not.

"Uh, yes... She had nightmares for a while. They were quite bad." The doctor kept nodding his head. Clara could almost seeing the cogs turning in his head. There was something wrong, she could tell.

"Okay. Right. I think I can give you some answers but give me two seconds to type up some notes." Danny nodded and started to hold Clara's hand a little tighter. Both of them were buried in worry.

It felt like hours waiting for the verdict, Clara couldn't stop shaking.

"Okay, so after watching her and listening to what she said I don't think she has any type of autism. So we can rule that off but I think that all that has happened in her life time has take its toll on her more than we may have realised. I believe that Ellie has a variation of post-traumatic stress disorder which can explain the panic attacks and the nightmares." Danny's face dropped. Clara looked to him with tears in her eyes. Why this? Why did it have to be PTSD? This was going to wreck Danny.

"No. No she can't!" He shook his head and a tear fell down his cheek.

"I'm sorry, I know it's hard but she's showing all of the signs. It's okay though because she's in safe hands. We've got the best help she can get here. And I understand that you've had the same thing in the past, is that right?" Danny stared at the wall, unresponsive. The doctor then looked to Clara.

"Yes, after he came out of the army. Sorry, this is quite a sensitive subject." The doctor nodded, sensing the urgency to move on.

"I understand that. Would you rather we called it a day today and I'll arrange another appointment within the next few weeks to discuss ways to help Ellie?" Clara nodded and smiled.

"Yes, that would be great. Thank you... And sorry about this." He shook his head.

"No problem." Clara grabbed Danny's hand and led him out of the room.

"Come on, let's get you back to the car." Tears were still falling down his cheeks. It broke her heart to see him so distraught. Clara ran to grab Ellie and they left swiftly.

When they got to the car Clara got into the drivers seat instead of Danny which made Ellie even more suspicious of what had happened.

"Is daddy okay?" Clara looked back at Ellie who looked quite distressed.

"He's just a little but upset about what we talked to the doctor about." Ellie frowned.

"He's sad about talking about me? What did he say? What's wrong with me?" Clara shook her head.

"Ellie sweetie, not now. We will talk to you about it all soon I promise. But now isn't the best time." She turned away from Clara and started to look out of the window. Clara sighed, nicely handled, great. She cursed under breath.

They got home and Ellie ran straight to the door. Dave opened it quickly and she pushed straight past and ran to her room. He walked out of the door and towards the car to see Danny in pieces and Clara looking very stressed.

"What on earth happened!?" Clara shook her head.

"The worst possible scenario." Danny got out of the car and walked upstairs without saying a word. Clara placed a hand on her head and sighed. She locked the car and followed her dad inside.

"Clara, what's going on!?" She paced up and down the kitchen.

"She's got PTSD dad... Of all things, she has PTSD." Dave sighed, now understanding Danny's state.

"Oh god. Do you want me to talk to her?" Clara shook her head.

"No... No, it's okay. I'll do it. Would you mind keeping control down here for a while longer?" He agreed and walked back into the other room. Clara kicked off her shoes and ran to Ellie's room. She knocked on the door and waited for a response. When she didn't get one she entered slowly. Ellie was sat on her beanbag looking out of the window, to Clara's surprise she wasn't crying.

"Ellie?" No response. "Ellie I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap in the car. I was just a bit stressed and worried. I'm so sorry." After a pause Ellie turned to face her.

"It's okay. I'm not upset about that." Clara frowned.

"What are you upset about then honey?" She sighed, stupid question to ask really.

"I want to know what's wrong with me. I don't get it. Why is daddy upset? Why are you worried? What did the doctor say?" She asked so many questions that Clara simply didn't want to answer.

"El..." She took a deep breath. "You know when daddy was really sad a while back and he had those really bad dreams?" She nodded. "You've got the same as him but for different reasons." Ellie paused and hesitated. It seemed to take a while for it all to lock in place.

"I don't get it... I haven't been a soldier, I haven't been to that country far away where loads of men had guns and bombs." Clara sighed and shook her head, tears welling in her eyes.

"No, you haven't. But you can get it from lots of different things, not just being a soldier. You've got it because of all of the things that have happened in our family. All of the things that have made you sad, angry or confused have built up and your body doesn't like it anymore." This was so hard to explain to an eight year old. How on earth do you tell your child that they have post-traumatic stress disorder and that it's all her parents fault? Clara felt nothing but guilt.

"So that's why I get scared and that's why daddy is upset?" Clara nodded.

"Daddy is just upset that this has happened because he didn't like it when he had it so he doesn't want you to have to go through the same thing. He loves you very much, that's all." She nodded and looked down to the floor. "Are you okay?" Clara pushed her hair behind her ears and kissed her head.

"I don't know." Clara nodded.

"That's okay. We'll work it all out, I promise. We'll do it all together." Ellie smiled a little bit. Clara wondered if she now felt more relieved that she knew what was wrong with her, it had settled her worries a little. "Good girl, do you want to go downstairs and play with Lily and Noah? You can talk to grandad about how you're feeling as well if you want to." She nodded.

"Okay mummy." She got up and walked out of the room. As she got to the stairs she stopped and walked back. "Tell daddy that he doesn't need to be sad because I'll be fine. I'll be better soon. And that I love him lots." Clara nodded, a tear falling down her cheek.

"I will."

She sighed and got up slowly. She walked towards her and Danny's bedroom, starting to cry a little more now. As she entered she saw Danny curled up on the bed, sobbing to himself like he used to all of those months ago. It broke her heart to see him in that way again. She walked over and laid beside him, taking his hand and kissing him on the head. He looked up and they saw the pain in each other's eyes. She held him tightly and he sobbed into her chest.

Once he had calmed down a little he turned over and looked at the ceiling. Clara turned to face him and grabbed his hand again making him look at her.

"Talk to me, please." He sighed and looked back to the ceiling.

"I shouldn't have got this upset, I'm sorry... I just, I couldn't bare the thought of our little girl having to live through what I did. I still can't. As soon as the words came out of his mouth all of the memories came flooding back. It was like I was back there for a second. Back where I was when getting up in the morning was a chore. When life was a painful drag. Part of me feels guilty because I keep thinking that I should have noticed it. I should have spotted it and that I should know what to do now. I should know how to help her. But the other part of me is reluctant. I should be in there now helping her, supporting her. But I'm scared to. I'm scared that it'll all come crashing down like my life did. I don't have some manual that I can read from to help her. I don't have step by step instructions on how to overcome PTSD, there probably isn't any. But I feel like I should have, after all I went through I should know what to do. But I don't and I'm terrified." Clara watched him with tears falling down her face.

"That's okay, it's okay to say that you don't know what to do. Because I don't, and Ellie sure as hell doesn't... This is going to be tough, really tough. But we need to be able to help each other. I don't want you to have to relive all of the memories that you've tried to bury, not at all. This is a new chapter. This is different to before. I know it's hard to move on and not think about how you were, I get that. I'm not saying that you can avoid it but we need to focus on Ellie now. It might help her to know up you felt, it might make her feel like she's not alone. But I think we need to stay positive. We need to make our lives and her life as happy as they can be. That's how you got better. So maybe Ellie will be the same." He rolled over, smiled a little and kissed her softly.

"I agree. Happiness and family were what got me through so maybe she'll be the same... Thank you for understanding. I love you." She smiled a little.

"I love you too."

"Let's go downstairs. The start of putting negativity and tears behind us yeah?" She nodded and followed him out of the room.

Everyone looked up as they entered the living room. Clara picked up Lily and hugged her tightly whilst Danny ushered Ellie into the kitchen.

"How are you feeling?" She shrugged.

"I don't know. I feel like I should be sad but I don't really understand everything." Danny smiled a little.

"Let's focus on now eh?" She nodded. "Things might get hard in the future and we might get upset but that's okay, as long as we make the most of the time in between being sad. You're the bravest little girl I know so I believe that we can beat this." She nodded.

"I think we can too daddy. But will you help me?" He held back the tears that started to creep back.

"Yes, I will. I'm never ever going to leave your side. Not ever. I'm always here for you. To talk to, to have a hug with or even to hold your hand when you're feeling scared. I love you so much Ellie and nothing is going to stop you from doing anything ever again." She smiled and jumped forwards to hug him.

"Thank you. I love you so much daddy." He smiled.

"I love you too Ellie." He let some tears escape as he hugged her tightly. He knew that the fact that she had PTSD was never going to be okay but they had to try to make it okay. They had to move forwards, not backwards. That's what Danny was determined to do.

**And the tears stream...**


	41. Chapter 41- School Stress

**Hola, so so sorry this chapter is super late. I'm currently doing my GCSEs so time has been limited and stress has been heightened (I feel like the chapter title is rather apt). I hope you enjoy x**

School Stress

A few days had passed and things seemed to be going alright. Danny was still struggling to comprehend it all but Ellie seemed slightly more relaxed. Dave had been such a great help, looking after Noah during the school day and always being there to lend a hand. Clara couldn't thank him enough. Everyone was slowly getting back to their normal routines. Things were finally settling down, they hoped.

Ellie got up and walked downstairs, she didn't wake up Clara as she didn't really feel like talking. She grabbed her jacket and sat on the window sill instead. Lately she had found comfort from looking at the sky. It relaxed her thinking about the space above her. The empty space that would free her from worries and anxiety. It wasn't long though until her silence was disturbed by Danny coming into the room sleepily.

"Morning! What are you doing down here?" He hadn't expected her to be down here at this time.

"Just thinking." Danny smiled a little at her curled up on the window sill.

"Thinking about what eh?" He came and leant on the wood beside her.

"I don't know really. Just about life without worrying I guess." He sighed.

"I get you. I know exactly how you feel. You'd do anything to make it all go away? And you just want to be happy again?" She nodded slowly.

"How did you know?" He now sat down next to her. He tried to hide the emotion on his face. He couldn't bare seeing his little girl think the same way he did. It wasn't fair.

"I've been through it, I've experienced it. Back when I wasn't very well that's what went through my mind a lot too. It's hard to stop it really. It's hard to understand that you have a problem that needs fixing, that it's not just going to get better." She nodded, seemingly in agreement. "But if there's one thing that I can tell you about feeling like that? Try not to." She looked at him in confusion.

"How do I do that?"

"It's hard to do, it's really hard but wishing that you didn't have it and that it will just disappear is a bad thing to do. It just makes recovery harder. Think about all of the happy times we have and all of the amazing things we've seen. Focus on those and it makes the bad things seem not quite as bad." She nodded and continued to look out of the window. Danny sighed. "Ellie... If anyone knows how you feel it's me. I'm not saying that you need to tell me everything. Not at all. But just know that I'm always here, always. Like I said the other day I'm here for whatever you need." She smiled up at him.

"I know you are. I'm happy about that." He smiled and pulled her into a hug. He didn't realise it was possible to love someone so much. Ellie meant so so much to him.

"Good. Now let's get you some breakfast yeah? School today." She nodded and jumped down following him into the kitchen.

Clara came down a few minutes later with a grizzly Noah in her arms. She yawned and strolled into the kitchen without looking around at who was already there.

"Morning." She jumped slightly and turned round.

"Oh, sorry, wasn't paying attention. Morning you two! You're down early! Must just be so keen for school." She winked at Ellie who shook her head and laughed.

"We had a little chat didn't we." Ellie nodded. "And then we thought it would be a good idea to have breakfast rather than coming back upstairs." Clara smiled and kissed Danny on the cheek.

"Ahh right, sounds good." She didn't ask what it was about, there was no point risking any upset this morning. "All ready for your first day back El?" She nodded and started to go through her stuff to show Clara.

"I'm actually quite happy to go back. I want to have my routine back." Clara smiled and kissed her head.

"Good! You might enjoy it. It'll be nice to see your friends too." Ellie smiled half heartedly. "Oh come on! You get on well with them all!" Ellie nodded.

"I know I do but that means I have to talk to them." She smiled at Clara.

"You're just as unsociable as your dad, you." They all laughed.

Once everyone was dressed and ready to go they headed to the car. Clara watched Ellie and Lily climb in happily chatting away to each other just like old times. They chatted and laughed the whole way. Not a tear or a sad face was in sight. Clara and Danny exchanged a smile. They couldn't quite believe how different the household had become within a few days. It was though the sadness had been left behind, they just hoped that it lasted.

They arrived at Lily and Ellie's school where Ellie noticed all of her friends. Suddenly she sat back in her chair a little and sighed. Clara and Danny noticed this so Danny got out of the car to take Lily in to give Ellie some space.

"You ready to go Ellie?" She shrugged. "El, you'll be fine! It's okay to feel a bit nervous. The school know what's happened this weekend and you know that you can ask your teaching assistant to talk to me in the day if you like." She nodded. "Look, I think you're going to have a fantastic day and then when you get home you can tell me all about it!" She waited for Ellie to nod again before Clara got out of the car and took her hand. "There's Lucy! Come and talk to Lucy yeah?" She nodded slowly. They walked over and as soon as Lucy spotted Ellie she ran towards her and started talking. Ellie joined in and seemed to look a little more relaxed. Clara had a chat with the mum before the doors opened and then it was time to say goodbye. "Have an amazing day. I love you." She smiled and hugged Clara tightly.

"I love you too. See you later." Clara nodded and watched her walk in hesitantly. Danny came back to stand next to her. He put his arm around her and kissed her head.

"She'll be fine. She's a brave little girl." Clara nodded and smiled.

"I know, she'll have a great day. That doesn't stop me from worrying about her though." Danny smiled.

"You're her mum! That's your job." She smiled back and they headed to the car.

The morning at work seemed to whizz by. Both Clara and Danny were feeling so much happier and their students could clearly see that. Clara had the best lesson with her year 11s that she'd had in ages and Danny had finally managed to teach the group of students the section of the syllabus they were struggling with. All was going well.

Lesson 5 rolled around and Clara began to teach her class. Soon though, she was interrupted by her phone ringing in her desk. She picked it up to see who it was and then a feeling of dread shot through her heart. It was Ellie and Lily's school...

She stood and stared at it for a second, not moving. She didn't know what to think. What could have happened?

"Miss? Are you okay?" A student asked, taking her attention away from the phone.

"Um, yes... I'm sorry but I really need to take this call. So could you all get your books out and read chapter 10 independently please. And don't think you can get away with chatting because I can hear you from the other side of the door and I will be testing individuals on the events of the chapter when I get back." She rushed out of the room and called the number back.

"Hello?" She recognised the voice of Ellie's teacher on the other end of the phone.

"Hello, is this Ellie Pink's mum?"

"Yes it is, has something happened?"

"Yes. Would you be able to come to the school? Immediately." Clara took a deep breath.

"Of course, what has happened?"

"Towards the end of lunch break it got a bit loud and Ellie didn't cope very well with it. She has had a bad panic attack and isn't calming down. She keeps asking for you so I assured her that you'd be here soon, I hope that's okay?" Clara rubbed her hand on her head.

"Oh god. No that's fine. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Okay, thank you." She hung up and leant back against the wall. She felt a massive sinking feeling. Everything had looked like it was getting better and now this had happened. She had to tell Danny. It wasn't right to do this on her own.

She jogged down to Danny's classroom and walked in slowly. Tears were building in her eyes so Danny knew something had happened the second he saw her. As he started to walk towards her a few students began to coo and laugh. Danny shook his head and sighed.

"Yeah that jokes kinda old now. Everyone knows she's my wife. Get on with your work." He winked and walked out leaving his class laughing with each other. Clara started to pace backwards and forwards and take deep breaths. "Clara? What's wrong?" She looked to him and sighed.

"Ellie's school called." Danny suddenly looked alarmed.

"Why!? What has happened?!"

"She's had a huge panic attack and won't calm down. I said I'd get there as soon as possible." Danny shook his head and sighed.

"It was all going so well, too well really." She nodded sympathetically and stroked his arm.

"I know it's a set back but she needs us now, that's what matters." He nodded and took a deep breath. "Can you tell Adrien to cover my lesson? Or get someone to? I don't know what else to do to be honest." He nodded again.

"Yeah, will do. Off you go. Keep me posted, yes?" She nodded and they kissed goodbye. She ran back to her class room and jogged to her desk.

"Sorry but something has happened and I need to rush off. We'll hopefully pick up from where we left off tomorrow. But now, carry on with your annotations and remember to refer closely to the text. Mr Pink is finding you a cover teacher so please, behave." She smiled and ran off leaving her class looking at the door she had disappeared off through rather confusedly.

She arrived at the school and ran into the reception. They were clearly waiting for her as the receptionist walked towards her quickly.

"Mrs Pink, come through." Clara nodded and followed. They entered a room where Ellie was sat crying to herself and fiddling with her hands. As soon as she saw Clara she jumped up away from the teacher with her and ran into her arms. Clara held her tightly.

"Shh, shh. I'm here. It's okay." She held her for a few minutes and then picked her up and sat on the chair with her on her lap. She smiled at the teacher, who looked quite stressed out.

"She seems to have calmed rather a lot now." Clara nodded.

"She gets like this. She'll panic and then be calm for a while after. She should be alright now. Thank you for calling me." She smiled.

"How could we not?" Clara nodded.

"How did this actually start, what caused it?"

"The kids were coming in from lunch break and it all got a bit noisy. They started pushing and shoving like kids do and I think it shook Ellie up a little. She ran over to me and then outside of the classroom away from everyone, that's when she had the panic attack." Clara nodded, not really surprised at what had caused it.

"Okay, well thank you for being so good with her." The teacher nodded and left the room, leaving Clara and Ellie alone. "El?" She looked up slowly. Still struggling to breathe. "Sit up straight, put your hands on your head and take a deep breath, yeah?" She nodded. "Just like the doctors say to do." She nodded again. Clara smiled a little and rubbed Ellie's tears away.

"I'm sorry mummy. I made you leave work again, that's bad isn't it?" Clara shook her head.

"You've got nothing to be sorry for, work is important but you're more important than anything so leaving isn't a problem. It's all okay now though, I'm here, and you're safe." She nodded and leant into Clara.

"I just got scared. When everyone started shouting it reminded me of when all of the Daleks came and that man took me away and all of my dreams too..." Clara sighed.

"That's okay sweetie. But you know that that is never ever going to happen again don't you. The Daleks are far away now and no one is hurt. Everyone is fine." She shook her head.

"They're not hurt like they need to go to the hospital but they are hurt in their heads. I can tell. You and daddy keep saying that you're okay but you are sad really. I can tell that your heads aren't happy but you just tell me that it's okay so that I'm not sad." Clara looked at her, rather surprised at her observation.

"Daddy and I are a little bit sad. But not because we're hurt but because we're worried about you. We love you very much so when you're sad it makes us sad too. You understand that right? It's like when I was ill after Noah was born. That made you sad didn't it?" She nodded. "Daddy is just very upset that you are not feeling happy because he knows how it feels to be like you and to feel like you do. He's not sad because he's cross with you or anything like that, we just care about you." She sighed.

"But grandad's sad too." Clara nodded.

"He is but that's because of Linda. Not because of you. He's also worried about you, because he loves you very much too." She nodded and sat back a little. "Look, El... You've come so far, you've done so well. You should be so proud that you've kept everything together through all that has happened. It's just that now it all got a little too much and that's okay because we're gonna sort it aren't we? You don't need to be worried about anything apart from yourself. You need to keep being amazing and showing that you can beat this. Because I know you can do it, we all know you can." She smiled a little.

"I guess so..." Clara sighed. "Can I go home now? Do I have to stay in school?" Clara shook her head.

"No honey, you can come home." She nodded and moved to stand up from the chair. She held out her hand for Clara to take and smiled. Clara held it tight as they walked away from the room.

At the end of the day Danny entered with a grumpy Noah and Lily in his arms. He juggled his bags and them in his hands making Clara run towards him to help.

"Rough day?" He shook his head and sighed. Clara took Noah and kissed his head softly. She watched him as he settled down and started to lay on her quietly. Lily jumped down as he sat her on the stairs and ran to Ellie.

"Ellieeee!" Clara watched and smiled at them cuddling up together on the sofa. She then walked into the kitchen to see Danny sat down with his head in his hands. She moved to crouch in front of him and kissed his hand.

"Talk to me, what's going on in that head of yours?" He sighed and shrugged.

"I think it's more a chat for when the kids are in bed." She smiled and nodded. He stood up, held out a hand for her to take and pulled her to her feet. She kissed him softly. "How's Ellie? What happened at the school?" Clara sighed.

"When I got there we had a chat and she calmed down a little which was a good sign. The teacher was really good about it, she said that they had been coming in from break and it all got a bit noisy. They started to push and shove and that set Ellie off. I asked her what about it made her anxious and she said that it made her think about the whole invasion thing but I think we've kinda sorted it now." Danny nodded and took a deep breath. "But, expect some questions later. As she knows that you understand how she feels better than I do. So she may want to speak to you." He nodded again and smiled a little, a sad smile.

"Okay. I'll go and see her." Clara smiled and nodded and watched him go.

Later, while Clara was upstairs putting the other two to bed, Ellie looked up from the tv and closely at Danny's face. She could tell that he wasn't very happy.

"Daddy, what's wrong?" He smiled at her.

"What do you mean?"

"You're sad. I know you are. Your eyes have gone all shiny and you're not talking and laughing." He sighed. When she spoke to him like that he saw so much of Clara in her, that observant streak.

"Okay... Sometimes when I know that you are struggling it makes me struggle too. Because when I see you panic or get upset I can remember what it's like. So it makes me think of when I was like you are. That makes me a little bit sad." She frowned.

"Why?"

"Because I was very sad and very anxious for a long time and it wasn't nice. So when I see you like that it makes me upset because I love you very much and I want you to be happy." She nodded.

"I am happy really... Sometimes anyway. I'm happy apart from when I'm anxious and scared but I'm not like that now so I'm happy now." He smiled and pulled her in for a hug.

"That's good, it's good that you feel happy now."

"So does that mean that because I'm happy you can be happy too?" He hesitated and then nodded.

"Yes it does. We can both be happy now, yeah?" She nodded and smiled. He hugged her tightly and watched her smiling at the animals on the tv. She was so brave that sometimes he forgot that she was only eight years old. A little trooper she was.

"Hello." He said as he entered Clara and his bedroom. She smiled up at him and placed her book down on the table.

"Hello, what have you been up to?" He sat down on the bed and looked at the wall ahead of him.

"I had a chat with Ellie, put her to bed and then had a think." She nodded.

"Good. I'm guessing what you were thinking about is what you want to tell me?" He gave her a look. "Okay well you don't want to tell me, but I'm going to make you." She laughed a little. "So come on, talk to me." He sighed and gathered his thoughts. So much was whizzing around his head that he didn't know where to start. It was hard to condense it down. He watched her laying down by his side, waiting intently. Suddenly he felt overcome with panic. His muscles tightened, his breathing became slightly erratic and he got lost in his own thoughts. Clara recognised the symptoms so sat up immediately. She put her hand on his chest like she always used to and spoke to him softly.

"Danny? Danny?" No response. "Danny?" Then he looked at her, still ridden with panic. "It's okay, it's alright. You're safe, there's nothing to worry about." He took a deep breath. "That's it, there you go. Calm down." He took a few more deep breaths and then put his head in his hands.

"Oh god! What's happening to me? I'm letting things slip again, I'm letting her down!" Clara shook her head and sighed.

"No Danny, no. That's not what you're doing at all! You've been so great with her, such a great help. She loves that she can talk to you about it. It makes her feel safe, you know that. It's okay to have a little slip, that happens sometimes. Don't worry about it." He leaned into her and began to cry a little.

"Every time something happens to her it reminds me of how I was. I can't let her feel like I felt, I can't let it happen." Clara kissed his head as she tried to hold back her own tears.

"You won't, you won't. You've already helped her so so much. It can only get better, she's getting stronger every day. Today was a set back but she's okay again now. She's happy and she loves her dad."

"When we were downstairs she noticed that I was upset just like you do, she seemed to just know. She said that she was sad when it happened but she was happy now. Then she made me promise to be happy too so that we could be happy together." They both laughed a little. "I know it's mostly her age but she can just switch off emotions that she doesn't want to feel like a light. I can't do that, I always have this niggling feeling in the back of my head that something bad is going to happen. She doesn't get that at all, she's eight and she can cope with post-traumatic stress disorder better than I ever could." Clara kissed his shoulder and rubbed his arm.

"That's what kids are like though. They focus on what is happening at that moment and then move on like it never happened. Curse of being an adult, that's no longer possible. Danny, you were in the army. You saw horrible, horrible things. I know she's seen a lot too but you were older so you remember it all so much more vividly. Think about what you were like when you met me." She laughed a little at the memory. "You stumbled over your words, refused to go out with me and then we both completely messed up the first date. And now look at you. You've come so far. From a distraught soldier to a fantastic husband, teacher and dad. I know you can't see it but believe me, everyone else can. No one looks up to you as much as your kids do, especially Ellie. You deserve so much credit." He wiped his tears away and sighed.

"Sometimes I wish I could see what you see." She smiled.

"I know you do, but believe what I say. You're such a great man and the day I met you changed my life forever. There isn't a second that goes by when I don't start to love you even more than I already do. I'm so proud of you." He looked at her for a second as though he was taking in what she had said. He then smiled and kissed her softly. "I guess what I said helped then?" He nodded through his tears and hugged her tightly.

"As usual, Clara Oswald, you've made everything seem a little better." She smiled. They laid down together on the bed and put the tv on quietly. As Clara watched it intently Danny took the time to take a deep breath and calm down. He was finding it hard to calm down and hold back the tears today.

Just as their programme started they heard a little whimper from the cot. Clara sighed and got up slowly. She went to pick him up and rocked him side to side gently. She then laid him down stomach first on Danny's chest and laid back down next to them. Danny smiled at Noah wiggling around.

"Hello monkey." Clara smiled at him. Noah yawned and smiled before closing his eyes again. They laughed.

"Are you tired buddy?" She kissed his head. He still looked so small. His hair was soft and fluffy and his skin was as soft as anything. He opened his eyes and closed them again a few times as though he couldn't decide whether to go to sleep or not.

"You're so cute." Danny rubbed the back of his dinosaur pyjamas and watched as he dropped off to sleep again.

Soon enough Danny started to drop off too. Clara smiled at them both and laid down quietly. The Pink family was full of disaster, worry and upset but never ran out of love. That's what she liked most.

**Not sure how long it will be until my next chapter, sorry abort that, but thank you for reading!x**


	42. Chapter 42- Remeniscence

**Hellooooo, again I'm so so sorry this is mega late. I just haven't had time, I hope you enjoy. **

**Warning: it's sad...**

**And a message to my good friend ThatisneverThat, please don't hate me ;) **

Reminiscence

Danny sat twiddling his thumbs. It was 3:30 in the morning and he had been awake for quite some time. He couldn't sleep from thinking. It was Clara's birthday tomorrow and he hadn't planned a thing. He felt so bad but his mind just hadn't been in the right place. What with all of the Ellie stuff and the complete mental block on his part, things just hadn't been organised. He knew that she wouldn't mind not doing much but he wanted to to show her how much she meant to all of them. She deserved that at least. So he got up quietly and headed downstairs to do some research.

The next morning Ellie and Lily ran into their room with huge smiles on their faces. Clara rolled over and woke up slowly. They got into Danny's side of the bed and grinned at each other happily.

"Morning you two!" They smiled and kissed their parents good morning.

"Morning..." Ellie said but was soon interrupted by Lily.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUMMY!" Clara laughed.

"Thank you very much! Not that I really want to be reminded of it." She winked at Danny who laughed. Lily climbed up and hugged Clara tightly. Ellie turned to face Danny who nodded at her. She then jumped off the bed and ran out of the room. Clara gave Danny a puzzled look. Soon enough, Ellie came back in holding a huge card and bag.

"Happy birthday mummy." Clara smiled and sat upright to hug Ellie.

"Thank you sweetie." She took a moment to read the label on the bag and to open the card. Inside there was a picture drawn by Lily and some messages written by Ellie. It was so sweet that it made her tear up a little bit but she held it back, today was going to be happy she told herself. Lily leaned over and pointed at the different parts of the picture.

"That's you and daddy holding hands, that's me and Ellie, and grandad is on the side. Then Noah is that little circle with a smile on it. I didn't draw his body because I did his head too close to the bottom so there was no room." Clara and Danny laughed at how she stated it so matter of factly. "And there's the Doctor in his box. I put him there so that he will come back soon." Clara smiled and kissed her head.

"I love it Lily, it's perfect!" She smiled proudly.

"Open the bag mummy!" Ellie said eagerly.

"Okay." She smiled and pulled off the ribbon around the handles. Inside there was a mug that they had got personalised to say 'best mummy/teacher'. Clara picked it up and laughed.

"Oh very good! Was this what you got with grandad?" They laughed and smiled. "I guessed so." She then delved deeper to reach a t-shirt and a box of her favourite chocolates. She smiled widely at them. "Thank you so much you two! This is lovely!" They smiled and hugged her tightly. "Now, if you go now and get ready for school quickly we can have pancakes for breakfast!" Both girls' eyes widened.

"Really!?"

"With chocolate sauce!?" Clara nodded.

"But some fruit too yes?" Lily groaned in disappointment making them all laugh. "Go on." They got up and ran off happily.

Danny turned to face Clara. He kissed her softly and smiled.

"Happy birthday. I love you." She kissed him again and smiled back.

"Thanks you. I love you too." He hesitated. "What's wrong?" He shook his head.

"No, nothing. Not really... I just feel bad that I don't have a card for you. I normally do, I just kind of didn't get round to it with everything that-" She stopped him.

"Danny it's fine, honestly. I don't need a card when I've got you right here with me." He smiled.

"But I do have something for you... Well possibly. But you'll have to wait for that." She frowned.

"What is it?" He shook his head.

"Nope, you need to wait." She laughed.

"Danny please!" He shook his head again.

"No!" He got up and she threw a pillow at him making them both laugh. "You'll see." She grinned.

Once break time had rolled around at Coal Hill Clara popped off to the loo. Danny hid in the classroom across making sure that she hadn't seen him. He then ran into her room and left a note on her desk. He then left quietly. A few minutes later she came back inside and looked at it inquisitively when she saw it. She smiled once she recognised Danny's scribbled handwriting and his pink pen that he used for marking. It read:

'Lunchtime, outside, our spot, I'll have food. I may have a surprise for you ;) Love you xxxx'

She grinned and held it tightly in her hand.

The next two lessons felt like years. She couldn't wait to have a lunchtime with just Danny alone. It had been so long since they had done that. Life had just got in the way. She dismissed her class, tidied up her room and then skipped off to the corner of the school field. Danny was sat there happily waiting for her. He smiled when he saw her walking towards him.

"You got the note then?" She smiled.

"I did indeed. I am here as you wish." He kissed her cheek but then looked around to check no one saw. She laughed.

"Don't worry, no ones looking." He shook his head.

"Sorry I'm being over paranoid. I just don't like to have to deal with the mockery I get in class later." She nodded and sighed in agreement.

"Oh you and me both. But hey ho, what's the worst a teenager can say to us eh?"

"I don't think I want to find out." They laughed. Danny then pulled out a card from behind his back. She smiled sweetly at him.

"Oh Danny, you didn't have to! I said it was fine!" He shook his head.

"Of course I had to! Go on, open it." She smiled and unsealed it slowly. "Oh and sorry it's slightly smudged and is in the same pink pen as the note. Noah was kind of wriggling on me as I wrote them." She laughed and kissed his cheek again.

"Don't worry, it's still cute." He grinned. Now he grabbed a leaflet from his pocket. She looked at him with confusion. "Country cottages and spa? What's this for?" He smiled.

"Me, you, this weekend." She gasped.

"Danny! Really!?" He nodded. "Oh but what about the kids, where are they-" He stopped her.

"Its all sorted. I spoke to your dad this morning and he's free to take them to his. He's got plenty planned for them. So we can go and we can relax and have some time to ourselves." She smiled and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you so much. You really, really didn't have to."

"You deserve it. I think, after all that has happened, we deserve some time just the two of us."

"Time just the two of us? What even is that." They laughed. "I can't wait." He nodded.

"Me neither, it's going to be perfect." He smiled but looked away a little, slightly dismissive. Clara ignored it none the less.

Friday afternoon arrived and the excitement on Clara's face was hard to hide. Her and Danny were both buzzing and the kids had clearly noticed.

"Mummy why are you so happy today?" Lily asked inquisitively. Clara smiled and lifted her on to her lap.

"Because daddy and I are going away tomorrow, remember?" She nodded.

"Oh yes. You told me but I needed a wee at the same time so I forgot." Clara laughed. Lily always came out with the funniest of things.

"Can't you think and need a wee at the same time then?" She shook her head.

"No of course not. Because my brain is thinking about going for a wee instead of listening." She said as though Clara should have known. Clara rolled her eyes.

"That makes sense I suppose."

"Where are you going on holiday mummy?"

"We're going to the Lake District. Remember the place that we went to last year? The one that had the big lake and the swing in the garden?" She nodded.

"I think so."

"It's near there."

"Can we come too? Because I think that that would be a good idea." She smiled sweetly.

"Do you now? Well you can't come this time as this is an adult holiday but we can go there again soon if you'd like." She nodded.

"Okay. What do adults do on holiday that children don't?" Clara smiled, thinking about what to say next.

"Well we have a chat and we go on walks and we be a little bit naughty and have some alcohol." Lily gasped.

"That is naughty! Grandad said that drinking alcohol is bad." Clara laughed.

"It is bad when you're little so no drinking it until you're much older." She nodded.

"I'm going to drink chocolate milk for my whole life." Clara smiled at the change of subject.

"Are you now? Even when you're all old and wrinkly?" She teased making Lily giggle.

"Yes! I'll drink more then so that I have enough chocolate inside of me." Clara frowned.

"Do old people need more chocolate than young people then?" Lily rolled her eyes.

"Of course they do mummy! Did you not know that!?" Clara shook her head. "They need more so that they have enough energy to play with their grandchildren. Like grandad. So we gave him lots of our chocolate from the egg hunt in the garden."

"Did grandad tell you that?" She nodded proudly making Clara laugh.

"Hmm I thought so. Maybe don't believe all that he says." She said discretely. "You're going to have great fun this weekend with him aren't you!" She nodded. "Be a really big girl for me and look after Ellie. She might be a little bit sad that we're not at home so you'll have to try your best to make her smile."

"I always look after Ellie mummy." She gave a cheesy grin. Clara hugged her tightly.

"I know you 're a great sister." She nodded and Clara kissed her on the cheek.

The next morning arrived and Danny and Clara got packed up. Dave arrived and had a coffee with them and then they got on their way.

"You two be good girls for grandad yeah? We will be back tomorrow night." Clara kissed them goodbye and then walked to her dad and Noah. "And you, mister, be good too." She smiled, kissed him on the head and then hugged her dad. "Bye!" They waved as they left the door. As they got into the car she noticed that Danny had been remarkably quiet that morning. He didn't look too happy now either really, despite that she didn't say anything. "Ellie seemed to be alright today, she didn't look to upset." Danny nodded and spoke dismissively. Pressure building inside him.

"Yeah, that's good. One less thing to worry about I suppose." Clara nodded and watched his eyes turn back to the road. Something was clearly bothering him.

"What's wrong? What's made you so quiet?" He shrugged.

"Nothing, I'm fine. Promise." He smiled at her. There was something wrong, he thought to himself, he just wasn't ready to talk about it yet. He needed to wait until the right moment.

A few hours passed and they arrived at the cottage. The view was beautiful. Danny grabbed their bags out of the car a smiled a little.

"It's cute." She nodded and held on to his arm.

"It's very cute. In fact it's perfect."

"Have I made a good choice then?" She nodded and kissed him on the cheek.

"You have indeed. Come on, let's go inside." She ran to the door and let them in.

After a little tour of the place they went out on to the balcony. It looked over a lush green forest that spanned for miles. The hot tub was placed right on the edge so that the view could be relaxed with. Clara sighed.

"This is so nice. I think a break is what we need." He nodded, still showing a little sadness.

"I think so too, get away from it all." He didn't look at her, he just stared into the distance. She frowned and huddled into him.

"Please tell me what's up. I'm sure we can sort it, what ever it is." He sighed and smiled at her.

"Okay... There is something I need to tell you but I don't want it to spoil this weekend. It's your birthday, you deserve to be happy." She frowned.

"You know me, I'm not happy until everyone else around me is happy. Don't worry about it." He shook his head.

"But this though... It'll upset us." Now she was a little worried. What could have happened to make him this nervous?

"Danny, please, don't worry. Just tell me." He hesitated and sighed.

"Okay, you sit down and I'll get us a drink. I definitely need a drink first." She nodded and sat down, watching him stroll away from her. Her heart was racing. She didn't know why but something about his body language told her it was going to be bad.

He came back and sat down slowly but didn't speak.

"So?" He took a deep breath. It didn't take Clara long to notice the beads of sweat on his head and the tears building in his eyes.

"The other day I got a letter in the post..." He sighed and pulled it out of his pocket. He handed it to her and she immediately looked at him with shock. It said clearly at the top 'British Army'. He sighed. "Someone has spoken up about Afghan and all that happened so now they want to do a trial for the death, you know..." He still couldn't say it out loud. That boys blood still wet his hands today. It never went away. "They think it was dealt with wrongly so they need to go back over it, for the family's sake. It also may mean that I'll have to go back on service for a while." Tears started to fall. Clara sat silently for a while, she couldn't take it in.

"Why? Why now? What's changed?" He sat forwards and took a deep breath.

"I spoke to my commander on the phone the other evening and he said that some of the soldiers still in Afghan, including ones who I knew at the time, had brought it up... Others asked about it and then one of the sergeants started to look into it. Turns out that because I was such a mess at the time they skipped some paperwork and some organisation in order to let me go home and hand my notice in so now they need to more investigations." She sighed. Could anything worse have happened? This was possibly the worst scenario there could ever be. This was going to ruin Danny, she knew it.

"So what does that mean for you? What could happen to you?" Now tears started to escape as he looked at her. This was bad, she knew it.

"Worst case scenario, prison for murder." She gasped.

"No, that can't happen. Please no." Her body shook with the shock.

"I can't go to prison Clara, I can't. I need to be here. I can't do this." He broke down in front of her. She moved over and hugged him tightly. She said nothing to him, what could she say? She hadn't even got her own head around it yet. It was all so sudden.

"But you won't right? It will be okay?" He shook his head.

"I don't know. I don't know." She held him for a while, simply comforting his sobbing.

Later on he got up and strolled over to the balcony again.

"Anything could have happened. Anything but this. Why does this have to be dragged up again? I was getting past it. I was happy, we all were, now this is going to kill all of that." She walked next to him and sighed, trying to hold back her tears.

"I don't know what to say Danny..." He shook his head as he noticed her emotion.

"This is why I didn't mention it. It's made us upset."

"This is important though, you did right to tell me." He shrugged.

After a silence he groaned in frustration.

"I don't know what to do! I just don't! I feel like I should be doing something to prepare but I can't bring myself to do it!" He put his head in his hands and Clara put her arms around him.

"Calm down, calm down. It's going to be okay." He pulled away.

"But it's not going to be okay is it! I might be put in prison! My whole life could fall to pieces!" He shouted. He then took a deep breath and sighed, immediately kicking himself for losing it. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout." A tear fell down her cheek.

"It's alright." She turned away from him and he sighed.

"I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you, please. I'm sorry." She shook her head.

"I know you are, that's fine. Don't worry... I just, I don't want to do this." She began to cry. "I don't want to lose you and I don't want to go back to the dark place we were in before. I can't do it again." She began to shake with her sobs. He held her tightly and allowed himself to cry too. They stood there in each other's arms in uncontrollable tears.

Danny didn't sleep that night. How could he? Clara hadn't gotten much either but for some reason they hadn't spoken during the night. Neither of them really knew what to say. It got to 8'o'clock before Danny spoke for the first time.

"I have to go to court on Wednesday." Clara looked up.

"What? Why?"

"They need to set up the case and get witness statements etc." He paused. "Will you come with me? I don't want to do it on my own." She sighed and moved to sit next to him.

"Of course I will, as if I wouldn't. We'll do it together." He nodded and leant into her, she kissed his head.

"And I'm sorry for ruining your birthday." She shook her head.

"Stop with that, you haven't ruined it. This is so much more important. I've had 29 birthdays already, I think I'm okay to miss one. We're still away together though, not as planned, but we're together. That's all that matters." He nodded and kissed her softly.

"Yeah."

A while later he spoke again.

"I didn't know what to do when I heard. I kind of pretended that it didn't exist for a few days, like if I ignored it it would go away. Since when does that work eh. My commander back at the barracks was supportive and clearly understood my concerns. He said he'd put a good word in for me so that may help. But, despite that, it felt like part of my heart was pulled out. That dark place, that void in my life, I don't talk about it for a good reason so to hear that I'm going to have to face it was pretty harsh." She looked up from laying on his chest.

"That's understandable though. You can't just move off of something like what you went through. It's always going to be with you it's just unfortunate that it has come back to bite you. But, like I said, I'll make sure that we'll get through it. I'm always here to help, you know that. It's not going to be easy and I think there's going to be a lot of tears but we can do it. I believe that you are strong enough." He nodded slightly.

"But what if I do-" She stopped him.

"No what ifs. Prison is not an option. No way. Forget about that. You've got to stay positive, that's the only way this is going to happen." He nodded again.

"Okay, I'll try. Thank you." She smiled.

"I'll let you off, it's my job." She winked and kissed him on the cheek.

Evening fell and it was time to head home. Danny packed up the car and then walked back inside to find Clara. Sure enough she was stood looking over the balcony again.

"Clara? Ready to go?" She turned and nodded.

"Yeah, just making the most of the view. Imagine waking up to this every morning." He smiled and walked over to join her.

"That would be quite something. I can see myself getting used to it." She nodded.

"We should bring the kids somewhere like this you know. I think they'd like it."

"Yeah, good idea." She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Come on, let's get back and save my dad from the little rascals." They laughed and headed to the car hand in hand.

They arrived home and were greeted by Ellie and Dave.

"Hello." Ellie jumped up into Danny's arms.

"I missed you." He smiled, hugging her tightly.

"I missed you too! Did you have fun with grandad?" She nodded and started to tell him all about it. Clara stroked her head softly. Dave looked at Clara and Danny's faces and gave Clara a look. He had clocked that something was wrong. Not that it was hard to notice due to the bags under their eyes from tiredness and crying. Danny took Ellie into the living room so that she couldn't hear allowing Clara to fill Dave in.

"What's happened? Because I had visions of you coming back refreshed but neither of you look like that." She sat down and sighed.

"No, well it all went a bit wrong... Danny's case with the army and everything, you know, the boy." Dave nodded. "A new information has come forwards and their challenging the case. He's due in court on Wednesday." Dave's expression turned to shock.

"No... What!? Why?!" Clara shrugged.

"It came up in conversation at the barracks the other day so they looked back at the paperwork and some of it has been left outstanding, so there needs to be a trial." Dave sighed in frustration and upset.

"So what does it mean for Danny?" Now Clara hesitated. She hated having to think about the possible consequences.

"Worst case scenario, prison..." Dave gasped.

"Oh my god." Clara nodded, tears building in her eyes again.

"I know... So it hasn't really been the best of weekends and I don't think it's going to be a good few months either." He sighed.

"Oh Clara. I'm so so sorry." She shook her head, wiping her eyes at the same time.

"It's not your fault. It's just so annoying that it's happened when everything was looking up a little bit. Just as we get back on our feet something comes and knocks us down again." He nodded.

"It's frustrating. But we'll get through it. It's not going to come easy but you and Danny at strong, the strongest people I know in fact. Nothing beats you." Clara smiled a little.

"I just hope you're right, because right now it looks like this is going to kill Danny." Dave looked at her sympathetically and placed his hand on top of hers.

"He's got you and he's got his kids, you complete his life. You'll all be enough to keep him going. If he can't do it for himself he'll do it for you. And remember I'm always here if you need me, I'm just a call away." Clara nodded and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you so much dad, I don't know what I'd do without you." He smiled.

"Oh you'd do just fine without me, I'm just here to lean on." He winked and began to put on his shoes and his coat.

After he was gone Danny put Ellie to bed and then sat back down with Clara. It wasn't long until they were disturbed by Danny's phone. He picked it up and looked at the screen. He froze.

"Danny? Who is it?" He shook his head.

"The court." Clara saw the terror in his eyes. She placed a hand on his shoulder and kissed his cheek.

"Deep breath. It'll be fine. Go on, answer it." He nodded and stepped out of the room to do so. After a few minutes he entered again. He looked rather stunned. "Danny? What did they say?" He put his head in his hands.

"They're coming to check our house to see how we live and to see the kids..." Clara took a deep breath.

"Well that's okay, we can deal with that. What else?" He hesitated.

"They need to speak to the head at Coal Hill and assess my work ethic. And they want to... They need you and two others to stand in court to represent me. So that they can get a good view of who I am." She nodded slowly. "And the boy's family are going to be there..." Clara looked at him, shocked.

"What? How?" He shook his head.

"They moved to England, came into some money." She put her arm around him. "I can't see them. I can't do it. Clara, help me I can't." He cried into her and began to panic.

***runs away and hides underground for a long long time***


	43. Chapter 43- Court Room

**Hey, I'm back, this kinda just happened...**

Court room

Danny sat up slowly. Wednesday had arrived, the day he had been dreading. It was time. As he got up to go to the bathroom Clara stirred awake. She looked at the time and sighed.

"Game face on." She said to herself. She had to be strong for Danny, he needed her support. When he came back into the room he sat on the bed and stared at the wall in front of them. "You can do this. I believe in you." He smiled a little and kissed her head.

"Thank you. Come on, let's get today going." He said, keen to get the ball rolling. They got up out of bed and began to get ready. Clara pulled out one of her smart dresses and Danny his suit. They'd decided that smart was the way to go, make a good impression and all that.

Clara went downstairs to leave Danny to compose himself and to get some breakfast. Ellie was sat at the bottom of the stairs which stopped her before she could get to the kitchen.

"Where are you and daddy going today? Why can't I come? Why are you both so sad!?" Ellie went straight in with the difficult questions. Clara sighed, knowing that she couldn't answer honestly.

"Daddy has to go to the court to speak to the people there about something. He doesn't want to go so he's a little sad about it. I know you're worried but he's fine really. You can't come sweetie, not today, but you can stay with grandad and we'll see you later." She nodded dismissively and walked off to watch the TV with Lily. Clara shook her head, nicely handled. She kicked herself. Before she could go and speak to Ellie again she heard a cry from the baby monitor. She couldn't help but groan a little.

She entered the room to see Danny still sat on the bed. He had his trousers on but his shirt was half unbuttoned and his tie was nowhere to be seen. She sighed and picked up Noah. He settled immediately in her arms for once which, come to think of it, was much needed. She rocked him for a little while and then placed him down on their bed.

"Up you get." He looked round at her confused. He followed her order and got to his feet slowly. She then started to button up his shirt and look for a tie. "This one?" He nodded, not really caring either way. She did up his tie gently and kissed him. "I know you're scared and this is the last thing you want to go through but it has to be done. I'll be there, any time at all just look over to me and I'll be there. You can do this. I love you so much Danny and there isn't one part of me that doesn't believe in you." He smiled a little and kissed her back.

"Thank you, I love you." She smiled and went to pick up Noah. "At least this one is in a cheery mood today!" She cooed and smiled as Noah wriggled in her arms. Danny walked round to her side and kissed his head.

"He's obviously stolen some of our happiness eh." Clara passed Noah over to him to which he raised him in the air and then hugged him. "I love you little monster." He kissed his cheek repeatedly. "I love you." Noah smiled a little making them both laugh.

When they got downstairs the house was eerily quiet. Clara looked around a little bit for the two girls and then sighed when she saw them laying with each other on the iPad. She left them to it and smiled at Danny to give him the okay. Just as they sat down for breakfast Dave arrived. Clara let him in and smiled a little. He came into the kitchen and shook Danny's hand.

"How you doing mate?" Danny shrugged.

"Could be better to be honest, but it has to be done." Dave sighed.

"It does unfortunately, best of luck." Danny smiled.

"Thank you, and also thank you for having the kids again. I'm starting to think you've seen them more than Clara and I have recently." They laughed a little.

"You're welcome, it's a pleasure. And don't worry about that, it's just bad timing." Danny nodded and got up to subtly throw his breakfast in the bin. He couldn't face it right now.

"Also dad, I think Ellie may need some encouragement today. She's a bit under the weather." Danny looked up.

"Why, what happened?"

"I spoke to her earlier and she was upset about what was happening and wanted to know why she couldn't come with us. I didn't really know how to answer without telling her too much so it didn't go down very well. She's okay but just not too happy." Dave and Danny nodded.

"That's fine, I'll speak to her. You two just focus on what needs to be done, I'll man the ship here." Danny stood up and headed to find his shoes and Clara then did the same.

"Thank you, we should get off really. I'll try and keep you posted." Dave nodded and looked into the living room. "Okay you two?" Lily nodded but Ellie didn't look up. Clara sighed. "Daddy and I are going to get off now, so we'll see you later." Lily stood up on the sofa and hugged Clara tightly.

"Love you mummy. See you when you get home." Clara smiled and kissed her.

"Be a good girl." She nodded. Clara then leant down to Ellie and locked her iPad for a second. "I'm sorry we can't stay at home today and that you can't come with us but we will see you later. We'll try not to be too long. We love you very much, yeah?" She nodded dismissively. "Hug?" She leant forwards and hugged her mum quickly without making eye contact. Danny blew them kisses and then they both headed for the door.

"Good luck." They smiled at Dave who had just taken Noah off of Danny.

"Thank you, see you later."

They arrived at the court to be taken to sit in a long, spacious corridor. Danny sat down and took a deep breath. His hands and his legs were shaking strongly and his breathing was becoming erratic. Clara placed a hand on his leg for support to which he calmed down a little bit. After a few moments a man walked up to meet them.

"Hello, I'm Richard, we spoke on the phone?" Danny stood up to shake his hand.

"Ahh yes, nice to meet you." He then looked at Clara. "Richard, my lawyer." And then back at Richard again. "This is my wife, Clara." Clara shook his hand and they followed his lead into a small room off the side of the corridor.

"Okay so I've been informed of your back story and all that you've been through so I understand that this is a hard time. I also understand that you'll want to get this over as quickly as possible so I'm going to try to make this as easy as it can be. But to do that we're going to have to speak about some potentially upsetting and triggering things, to do that I need to know that you're fully on board." Danny nodded.

"Yes, of course." Richard smiled.

"Okay, so today the court have the notes of the case and are organising the possible sentencing and the questions that need to be asked. But remember, the sentencing is a worst case scenario. From a professional opinion I believe that you have a good chance of not facing any type of sentence so try to stay calm." Danny took a deep breath. "Also, they'll want to speak to you about your view of the event. Depending on how the day goes they may let you go home and then come back tomorrow or they'll move on a bit more and want to speak to you Clara." She nodded. "You have another acquaintance to stand up for you on stand by don't you?" Danny nodded.

"Yes, our best friend and work colleague Adrian." Richard nodded.

"Okay great, let's of through to the court room then." They stood up slowly. "Danny, one thing I would say to you, the boy's parents and other people you may recognise will be in the stands behind you when you're in the docks. I know its hard but I'd try to keep eye contact with them down to a minimum. It will help to keep you calm." They followed Richard down the corridor until they came to door. "Okay, you'll walk up here and come out at the box where you'll be given instructions. Clara, if you would like to follow the signs for Court Room 5 you'll reach where you can sit." Danny took a deep breath and held her hand.

"You can do this, I love you." He kissed her head and smiled. He turned away and walked up the stairs.

In the court it was silent. Danny stood in the box being over looked by everyone. It was intimidating, it had immediately put him on edge. As he looked down he saw Richard take his seat adjacent to the prosecution desk. Danny was distracted from looking around when the judge began to speak.

"Daniel Pink, we are here to discuss the events of the 16th of June 2003 which resulted in the death of 11 year old Samir Abas." Chills ran up his spine at the words. He could feel his body tensing into a panic but he took a deep breath to calm himself. "The case was originally closed with no charges or blame placed." He addressed the jury. "You must look at the events of the case without remorse or bias. Your emotions should not make an effect." They nodded. He looked to Danny. "Do you agree to stay truthful and honest throughout the case?"

"Yes, I do." He then looked to the defendant, Richard.

"You may begin." He nodded.

"Thank you your honour." He picked up his notes.

"Will the accused please stand." Danny stood up slowly and took a deep breath.

"What happened on the morning of the 16th of June 2003? Were you on patrol?" Danny swallowed in order to allow himself to speak. The lump in his throat was pulling his words back inside of him.

"Yes, I was on front line all day, well supposed to be." Richard nodded.

"Would you say that you were in your peak? Had you had enough sleep? Did you feel well? So on." Danny nodded slowly.

"Yes... Reasonably." Richard frowned.

"Can you elaborate?" Danny stuttered and stumbled over his words. The prosecutor stood up and raised her hand.

"Your honour, may I intervene?" He gave the nod so Richard took his seat, by the look on his face he knew what was going to be said next. It wasn't going to be good for Danny.

"From information of the night and from speaking to fellow soldiers in your regiment it appears that there was a party the night before? Someone's birthday?" Danny sighed. This changed the story quite a bit.

"There was, Lieutenant Williams, it was his 30th birthday."

"Did you drink?" Danny hesitated.

"Yes, but not very much. I knew I was on front line the next day so I made sure not to."

"How much are we talking? I think we need to be more specific." He sighed.

"I don't know, I can't remember." The woman looked around the room for support.

"Well if it was over the allowed limit then surely that could have determined your actions the next day?" He shook his head.

"No. I didn't have much. I wasn't hungover!"

"Hazy? Tired?"

"No! You're always tired in Afghan that's just how it is. I did not drink over the limit."

"Do you like a drink usually though? Are you a drinker?" Danny looked at her, clearly distressed.

"No! Stop! I was not drunk! I don't drink more than allowed ever, I've got kids!" The prosecution went to speak again but Richard stood in.

"Your honour I believe that we are steering away from the point of the case." The judge gave Richard the go ahead.

"Back to what I was originally saying. When you approached the village that you were neutralising were you following your rules and position?" He nodded.

"Yes, yes I was."

"So what made you go towards the house that Abas was inside?" Danny cleared his throat, looking down at his shaking hands.

"I, umm, we heard a noise inside. We had been told that the village was empty, we had no idea anyone was left behind. I was at the front of the platoon so I was ordered to look inside first... As I approached there was a noise that sounded much like movement so we all prepared ourselves, like we always did. On the order I pushed in but he ran to the side. I didn't think, I didn't react... I just shot the gun... I didn't realise. It all happened so fast. I didn't see who is was until I'd already done it... I'm so so sorry." He looked down at his hands and let a few tears escape. He could hear Clara crying a little behind him.

"What happened afterwards?" Danny took a moment to compose himself.

"I, it's all a bit of a blur... I collapsed on the ground, fixated on the blood. I couldn't take in what I had done. I remember being picked up and put into a truck. After that I only remember being taken to hospital." Richard nodded.

"You'd say that the events impacted you hugely then?"

"Yes, I still have guilt on my shoulders today. I always will." Richard turned to speak to the jury.

"Danny was deployed on the 20th of June and was placed in a rehabilitation institute back in Britain. He was given strict therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder for two years. His recovery is still ongoing. However, he has a good family unit of a wife and three children who provide him with enormous support. He is now doing well."

"Will the prosecution now stand." The judge said. Richard sat down and gave Danny a reassuring look.

"So if we leave the fact that there was a party the night before, would you say that you were paying full attention when you entered the house of Abas?" Danny nodded.

"Yes I was, I was alert."

"So how come your actions failed you?"

"It's hard out there you know, it's scary. There's a lot of pressure to deal with. You get so used to the drill of shooting any sight of opposition that when you do see a sign it panics you. I take full responsibility for the fact that I didn't give myself time to look but it comes to you like an instinct. It was an error of judgement."

"A fatal one at that."

"Yes, I'm not denying that. But there isn't a second of any day that don't regret my actions and that I don't think about that life I took." The woman nodded, seeing to realise her point was going nowhere.

"How long had you been in Afghanistan before the 16th of June 2003?" Danny paused to think.

"Around three months."

"Not very long then?"

"No, but I was young. I'd had two years of training procedures and drills everyday beforehand back here in England."

"Any training for front line soldiering?" He nodded.

"Yes, every soldier is trained mentally and physically for front line duties."

"But had you carried out any actual front line combat in Afghanistan before this event?" He shook his head. "So do you think it's fair to say that your training was not enough and that you were not experienced enough?"

"No. It may have been my first time but I knew the procedures and I knew exactly what I was doing." She nodded coldly. She had the sort of stare that turned ones heart to ice. It sent a shiver up his spine.

"We're you assigned to the duty? Or did you volunteer?"

"I volunteered."

"Why?"

"I wanted to prove myself. Show what I was capable of."

"So you volunteered yourself without any prior experience?"

"I did have experience. But yes, I chose to do it."

"But surely it's possible to question how well you knew your skill set? It's possible to say that you volunteered yourself for something that you didn't realise you weren't ready for." He shook his head and tried to keep himself together.

"My sergeant wouldn't have allowed me to go ahead if he thought I was not worthy nor ready. If I didn't try to prove my position there then when would I have done? There's a first time for everything you do." His cold response sent her into silence. He saw Richard smile a little. She quickly changed the subject.

"We have heard from your defence that you suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. It impacted you deeply did it?"

"Yes it did. It still does." She referred to her notes.

"And here it says that your eldest daughter also suffers from the same?" He heard Clara stir from the back of the room. His anger boiled. She had no right to bring Ellie up. Hearing her name in that scenario triggered him immediately.

"I don't see how that is relevant to the case."

"Everything about your life is relevant to the case Mr Pink. A string of events have led to your daughters suffering. Does that mean that your PTSD still impacts you in a negative way at home? Do your actions impact your children?" He took a deep breath to control his frustration.

"It does still impact me yes, but my daughter is well looked after and does not suffer."

"But she still has PTSD though. Something must have caused it."

"We have a happy home! She is an amazing little girl who is doing well! Don't you dare bring her into this!" The judge intervened.

"Settle down Mr Pink."

"May I request for a break your honour?" Richard said. He nodded. "Thank you." Danny was escorted out of the room, tears running down his face. Clara got up and ran to meet them.

Once down in the corridor Danny ran into Clara's arms. She hugged him tightly.

"Why did they talk about Ellie? Why did they bring her into this?" He cried into her shoulder. She kissed his head.

"I don't know. We'll talk to Richard, it's okay." After a few minutes Richard came around the corner so Clara pulled away from Danny and smiled.

"I've asked if they can finish for today. They're considering it now. I feel like we'd all be better once the stress of the first day is over." They both nodded but then Clara stepped in.

"Are they allowed to bring the kids into it? Is she allowed to speak about Ellie?" Richard sighed.

"Technically yes, as long as it skids along the surface and doesn't go off topic... I know it's hard to hear your daughter talked about like that but you did well Danny. I know you lost your temper a little and it all got too much but you were sensible in what you said. I've issued a complaint on the prosecutions tone and manner, I felt as though it was rather abrupt. I'm sorry about that." Danny shook his head.

"No, no, it's fine." Danny smiled sadly and then looked at the ground. Clara rubbed his back supportively. Just as Richard was going to speak again the judge came out. They all stood up out of politeness.

"We have decided to end for today. But the case will resume at ten o clock tomorrow morning. And as for your complaint Richard, I have said that there will be no more talk of your children in the same manner. Except your family will come into it later on in the case in order to create a rounded view of you as a person." Danny nodded.

"Thank you." He smiled and went back inside the room.

"Okay so, tomorrow I'd recommend you get here at around 9:30. Then we can talk through what is needed and we can plan what to say. Clara, you will be speaking, they'll want to ask you about the case and your family. Your friend will also be required." They nodded.

"Okay, thank you for your support today." He nodded and shook their hands.

"No problem at all, try to get some rest." They smiled. After another few hours of sorting out paperwork they headed for the car.

Danny was quiet the whole way home. Clara had decided to drive to give him a break. After a few moments he spoke a little bit.

"That was harder than I ever imagined." Clara nodded.

"It was horrible." He agreed.

"They always know just what to say to stab you in the back. That woman knew exactly what to say to make me angry."

"That's exactly what she's trying to do. She wants to make you lose your temper so that you say something you might regret." He nodded.

"I suppose so. Let's hope it's better tomorrow eh." She smiled.

"That's the spirit. The first day is always the worst. All we can do is relax tonight, what happens tomorrow will happen. There's not much we can do about that." He nodded again and then continued to look out of the window.

When they got home they were welcomed by rather a lot of noise. Lily was crying along with Noah as Dave tried to calm things down. Ellie was calling him from the other room and had the tv on in the background. He also had dinner cooking. Clara put her things down and went to take Noah off of her dad.

"What's going on here then?" He sighed as he picked up Lily to settle her. "What's wrong missus?" She wiped her eyes slowly.

"It's all been a bit manic. Noah hasn't stopped crying all day, I think its just wind and tiredness though. Ellie's been really unsettled since this morning. Lily tripped over in the garden and has grazed her knee. I haven't had time to make dinner and patch her up yet. I was going to talk to Ellie for you too but I didn't get round to it." Clara smiled and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Dad it's fine, it seems that you've finally witnessed a stressful day in the Pink household." They laughed a little. Danny sat down at the kitchen table, pretty drained. Clara passed Noah to Danny who took him happily and then sat Lily down on the table. "Ooh that's quite a graze you've got there!" She nodded through her tear stained face. "Well lets get a plaster on that then shall we!?" Clara poked her tummy making her giggle. Clara helped her down once she was all sorted and she walked off happily. Noah seemed to have settled down too. Dave sighed.

"Ahh, quiet." Clara laughed.

"It's a fine thing." Dave turned his attention to Danny.

"How did it go today then?" Danny gave him a look that said it all. Clara stepped in for him.

"It was pretty terrible. They sure do know how to make people angry." Dave sighed.

"What did you get done then?"

"They introduced the case and then Danny was questioned by the defence and the prosecution. We've got to go at 9:30 in the morning, they'll continue with Danny's hearing and then Adrian and I will speak." Dave nodded.

"Still got a long road ahead then." They nodded.

"Yeah, but Danny was brilliant. He held his nerve." Danny interrupted.

"For the most part." Clara sighed.

"Yeah well that was well deserved, they had no right to bring Ellie into it. I think what you said was justified." Dave looked surprised.

"They mentioned Ellie!?"

"They tried to make it look like Danny's PTSD still negatively impacted him in the home and that he had caused Ellie's PTSD." Dave sighed and rubbed his head.

"Are they allowed to do that!? That's so wrong."

"Technically yes. But Danny's lawyer, Richard, placed a complaint so they won't mention it again." He nodded. Clara then saw Ellie walk past and go to her room. "Is she okay?" Dave hesitated.

"I don't really know, she's definitely not herself. I said you'd talk to her when you got back. I think she feels a bit pushed out with all that's happened. I told her it can't be helped really but you know." She nodded.

"Okay I'll have a word." She smiled reassuringly at Danny as she left.

She got to her room and knocked on the door. Ellie ushered her in. As Clara sat down on the bed she was hit with a huge hug with she returned immediately.

"What's wrong sweetie?" Ellie pulled away and sighed.

"I want to know what's happening. I'm not a baby anymore. I know something's up. I miss you. I want everyone back together again all happily." Clara sighed. Her little girl was getting more mature by the day.

"Sweetie, I know you're not a baby, you're a big brave girl. Mummy and daddy love you so so much for that but at the moment things are a little bit difficult. Daddy has had to go and speak about something bad that happened to him when he was in the army. You know that the army caused his PTSD don't you?" She nodded. "Well because of that, having to talk about it all again makes him sad. It makes him feel like you feel when you're worried." She nodded again, seeming to be able to relate. "And it's hard for mummy to watch so we're both a little bit sad. We don't mean to not spent as much time with you, it's just been a really unfortunate few months. I promise, promise, promise that after all of this is done we will all be happy and will spend ages with each other. All the time." She smiled.

"I'd like that." Clara smiled.

"So would I." They hugged again.

"Would daddy like it if I went and talked to him for a bit?" Clara nodded.

"Yes I think he would, put a smile on his face like you always do." She grinned and walked out of the room. Clara sighed. What a day, she said to herself.

**Tensionnnnn**


	44. Chapter 44- Soldiering On

**Helloooo, so sorry this chapter has taken so long. I've been so busy! I hope you enjoy it x**

Soldiering on

The next morning Clara woke to see that Danny wasn't next to her as usual. Once she had picked up Noah and had got her dressing gown on she headed to look for him. Sure enough he was stood looking out of the study window watching the sunrise. That seemed to calm him on a stressful day.

"Morning." She smiled and kissed his cheek. He smiled a little and then kissed her and Noah.

"Morning." She could tell he was nervous by the way he didn't carry on a conversation as he normally did.

"Did you sleep well?" He shook his head.

"No, not really. I kept replaying what was said yesterday and planning answers for today. I don't know, I just couldn't switch my brain off." She nodded and kissed his shoulder. As she did so they heard footsteps behind them. Lily crept up and giggled a little.

"Kissy kissy!" Danny turned round and picked her up.

"Oi you!" She laughed and cuddled into him. Danny kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly, burrowing his nose into her shoulder slightly. Clara smiled at Danny's happy face. The one thing that could make him happy no matter what was his kids. She loved that so much.

Later on, after surprise pancakes for breakfast, it was time for Danny and Clara to go. Just they left, as Clara was saying goodbye to Lily, Ellie pulled Danny to the side.

"Daddy. I want you to remember that it will be okay today and that you'll be really really amazing. When you feel scared just think of me and I'll be thinking of you too. I hope it goes well." He smiled and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you sweetie. I love you lots." She smiled.

"Love you too, have a good day." Danny grinned, he couldn't help but do so. She was so so sweet.

When they arrived at the court they were met by Richard again.

"Morning." They smiled. "They want to continue with your inquest now, if that's okay?" Danny nodded, thinking that it was unlikely that he had much choice in the matter anyway. "Right then, so we're pushed for time so we need to get in there quickly this morning. There's a lot to do today. So remember Danny, stay calm. Look to Clara every so often if that helps. Stick to clear and concise answers. And it is pretty much guaranteed that your family will come up today so it may get a little bit rough. But remember, it's all to help the jury so don't worry." He nodded. "Okay, you can enter." Clara kissed him and then she ran off to sit down.

"Good morning everyone. We will precede from where we left off yesterday afternoon. You may begin. The prosecution may stand." After a nod of the head it was all underway again.

"So we cleared up the family situation yesterday, so I shall move on." A chill went down Danny's spine again. He hated her sly nature. "Reverting back to Abas, do you often think about him?" Danny nodded.

"Yes, all the time. Guilt for what I took from him."

"Do you feel as though your thoughts for him are enough? Doesn't he deserve more than that?"

"He deserves so much more. So so much. He deserves to still be alive and have a life waiting before him. But I can't change time. It happened, and I've suffered for that." She gave him a look of shock.

"You've suffered?" She said, emphasising the pronoun. "What about the family of Abas? Do you not think that they've suffered more?"

"That's not what I meant, of course they've suffered. I can't imagine what they've been through." As he spoke he was finding it increasingly hard not to look back at the parents sat behind him. There was so much he wanted to say to them. He wanted them to see his true guilt and sorrow for what he had done.

"And it's not fair for their suffering at all is it?" Danny looked at her, confused.

"Well no, of course not. I'm not sure what point you are trying to make here."

"I'm trying to say that from many people's point of view you've had no punishment."

"I would disagree with that. If not physical punishment, I've made that up by the years of mental punishment I've given myself and others have given me. Everyday I think of my actions. You've got to understand that I'd give anything to change it, to stop it from happening."

"But from, say, the Mr and Mrs Abas' point of view prison would be a beneficial punishment. To formally take responsibility for your actions."

"I don't need to be in a prison cell to accept responsibility for what I did. I've done that already. Hence why I'm here today. I'm showing my acceptance that I deserve to have to suffer." She went quiet for a second. Richard smiled a little knowing that his chance was coming. Now, he stood up.

"May I intervene, I feel as though this point is going nowhere for the case." The judge accepted, watching the prosecution sit down with frustration.

"Now, what needs to be looked at is the front line combat. As a soldier you'll know what it feels like. What the pressure is like."

"Yes." Danny nodded.

"No training can prepare you for the actual event. Front line soldiering is no mean feat. Accidents happen, albeit this was a fatal one which has been deeply regretted, but it happens. Mr Pink's error of judgement was not alone. It's not rare for mistakes to happen. Therefore I believe it's fair to put that to the side. No more blame placed on his actions than there already is. What does need to be spoke about is the fact that Mr Pink was willing to put himself forward in the first place. That shows bravery and compassion, does it not?" He looked down to see the prosecution squirm in her seat. "From speaking to Danny's colleagues, family and friends he is known as a kind, loving and gentle person. Always looking out for others and never letting the people he cares about get hurt. So Mr Pink, what is your family life like?" He hesitated before answering.

"It's great, yeah it's great. We're very happy." Richard nodded.

"Three kids?" Danny nodded.

"Yes, two girls, Ellie and Lily and a boy, Noah."

"What are their ages?"

"Ellie is nine, Lily is five and Noah is eight months."

"Within your home, is the army and your previous life, as you could call it, ever talked about?"

"Not especially, it's not something that I like to be reminded of, apart from the times that I can't help but think about it of course."

"What about to your daughter Ellie? As was mentioned before." Richard gave Danny a small smile to let him know that he wasn't going to say anything out of place.

"Yes, well, she asks about it and about my PTSD so we do speak about it sometimes. But in a positive, beneficial way. I, I like to think that she can help herself by seeing that I've overcome it to a certain extent and that she knows that she's not alone. That always helped me." Richard nodded.

"Okay, so on the whole do you get on well with your family? Your kids?"

"I love my kids. They mean everything to me. We get on so well."

"And how about your wife, Clara?" Danny looked over to Clara for a second to which she smiled back.

"Yeah, really well. We're a happy family." Richard nodded again.

"Good. Now you work at a secondary school, teaching maths?"

"Yes."

"How long have you been there for?" He hesitated to think.

"Around twelve years now."

"And do you enjoy it? Do you get on with your colleagues?"

"Yes, I love my job. The students are great, really good kids. They've got a lot of potential. And my colleagues are great too, we get on well."

"What do you like to do in your spare time?" Danny frowned a little, not certain of what all of these questions had to do with the case.

"I play with my kids, watch the football, see my friends. I like to walk as well, we do a lot of walking as a family." Richard nodded.

"After you left the army, how long would you say it took you to get back to a normal life?"

"Oh it took me a long while. It was difficult. I don't think I could say that I was properly coping until I met Clara, my wife, which was around two years after it all."

"I believe that something else that should be credited is Mr Pink's willingness to come forward. After everything he's been through he still chose to stand here and show his remorse. That shows nothing but a truly kind and dear man. The past happened but I don't see how it can be believed that this man was malicious in anyway and then didn't pay for what happened." He turned away from the jury and nodded at the judge before sitting down.

"Does the prosecution have anything to add?" Coldly she looked around the room.

"No your honour." Richard grinned a little, this was obviously looking good in his eyes.

"Okay, will the accused please be led out." Danny got up and left, closely followed by Richard and then met by Clara.

Richard walked to them with a skip in his step.

"Danny this is great. Trust me, I know it doesn't feel like it but it's good. They've finished your questioning and they've got nothing to hold against you." He frowned.

"What about the party and the drinking?" Richard shook his head.

"That's a factor but they've no proof that you drunk too much. They can't run off of speculation. Also by seeing what your life is like now and what you are like as a person I think that the jury will be able to come to the conclusion that heavy drinking isn't what you do. So don't worry, I think we're in good position." He nodded and took a deep breath. Clara kissed his shoulder. "In a few moments the jury will be ready again and they'll question you Clara." She nodded. "Also, would you be able to give your friend a call? It's likely that he will be questioned today as well." Danny got his phone out to call Adrian.

Once he had arrived they went back into the court room. Clara stepped up to the witness box and took a deep breath. As she stood there she immediately felt what Danny must have been feeling. It was so intimidating. The judge made her jump when he started to speak.

"Mr Pink's wife, Clara Pink, will now stand." He gave the nod to Richard.

"How long have you and your husband known each other?" She hesitated despite knowing the answer immediately. An encouraging look from Danny gave her the confidence to carry on though.

"Around 12 years. We met at work when Danny joined." He nodded.

"How would you describe your first meeting with him?" She looked at Danny again, both of them thinking of the awkwardness of their first date. That was one story that always kept them entertained.

"We were introduced by the head of the school we work at. He was new in his department."

"And how would you describe Danny's behaviour? Was he on edge? Nervous?"

"He was very nervous yes. But that didn't strike me as odd at the time. It wasn't really surprising considering that it was his first day at a his new job and he was meeting new people left right and centre."

"How long did it take for him to tell you the truth about the army and Abas? Was it soon after you'd met?" She shook her head.

"It was probably after around five months of dating. He didn't tell me immediately but as soon as he did I understood why."

"And why is that?"

"Well it's not the sort of thing you go around telling people. I don't blame him for keeping it quiet. It's close to his heart." Richard went to speak again but the prosecution jumped in first. Clara couldn't help but sigh a little.

"When Danny finally told you about it all did he tell you everything? Did he hold any parts back?" She shook her head.

"No, he told me it all at once." The women frowned.

"What, he told you absolutely everything in one moment? All in one go?" Clara sighed, not sure of what to say.

"Well not every detail no... It was difficult for him to talk about, it still is, so it took a few days."

"Did he hold any important parts back from you? Things that may have mattered and may have changed your opinion about him at the time." Clara looked at her with slight disgust.

"No he didn't. He told me it all over a few days. All of it. Nothing he could have said would have changed my opinion of him anyway, he's a good man. No matter what happened in the past, he's still the same man I fell in love with."

"But he killed a young boy and could have potentially lied to you." Clara shook her head.

"It was an accident! He never meant to do it! Can't you see? He's broken by this! He regrets it everyday. There isn't a second that goes by when he is relieved from the pain that was left behind. He didn't lie to me! He never would!" The judge intervened.

"Settle down Mrs Pink." She stood back a little and took a deep breath.

"Sorry your honour." From standing there she now understand why Danny had lost his cool. It was so hard to keep calm when they were spitting out lies at you. Richard stood back up and took control.

"When Danny's PTSD was at its worst while you were with him, how did that affect you?"

"It wasn't nice at all, obviously. It did strain our relationship a little as it was hard to empathise with what he was feeling at the time and not push him to get help until he was ready."

"What support did he get when you were with him?" She paused to think.

"He goes to counselling once a week, it used to be two but he doesn't need it as much now. He spoke to some of his friends from the army, including his commander. And we, everyone around him I mean, all supported him and let him know that he had people to fall back on if need be." Richard nodded.

"And that has worked then?"

"To a certain extent yes, not completely but I don't think it'll ever completely go away."

"How much of a support are your kids for Danny?" Clara smiled a little thinking about them.

"They're vital. He loves them so so much, and they love him too. He's such a great father to them. Having them there gives him a purpose almost. It gives him something to focus on. The fact that he can see them growing up into lovely, kind and polite children makes him so happy." The prosecution now stood again making Clara sigh.

"The last point I want to make is that you said a few minutes ago that you had to push him to get help." Clara interrupted.

"No, I had to wait until he was ready to do so. I didn't want to push him to get help that wouldn't be beneficial or help that he wasn't ready to open up to."

"But doesn't that in itself show that he didn't want to speak about it do avoided it? He didn't want to give Abas the time of day?" Clara shook her head.

"No not at all. At the time it was hard for him to speak about it all so he would think about it constantly instead. It wasn't for a while until those thoughts transpired into words. It wasn't that he was avoiding talking about it, it was that he was scared to and knew that if he did, he would get upset. It wasn't avoidance, it was fear." She nodded coldly, again seeing that another one of her points was getting nowhere.

"Does anyone have anymore to add." Both of them shook their heads. "In that case Mrs Pink, you may step down." She nodded and headed out of the room. A wave of relief flew over her. Danny took a deep breath as he watched her leave.

Clara passed Adrian as she walked out.

"Good luck." He nodded a thank you and headed to the box. The judge introduced him and then gave the go ahead. Richard stood.

"Now, Adrian, if I may call you by your first name?" He nodded and took a deep breath. "How long have you known Danny for?"

"Around 12 years now, we work together so I met him when he joined."

"How would you describe your relationship with Danny?"

"Good, very good. He's my best friend. We get on well, we're close. Have been for a long time now." Richard nodded.

"So how long have you known about Danny's role in the army?"

"For a long time, after he had told Clara he started to struggle a bit with his PTSD so he told me. Well they both did, together."

"How did you react to that?"

"I made sure that I gave him all the support he needed. I wanted him to get better again."

"It didn't change your relationship at all?" Adrian shook his head.

"No, not at all. If anything, it strengthened it."

"Okay, so what is Danny like as a person? Can you describe his character?" He hesitated, that wasn't an easy question to answer when put on the spot, despite how well he knew Danny.

"He's kind, caring, a fantastic father and husband. He has the most amazing kids, they really are a credit to him. He's always there to lend a hand if you need it and he wouldn't hurt a fly. He's considerate and sincere person. One that many of the students at work look up to."

"What are his relationships with other staff at your workplace like?"

"Good, we all get on well. We're a good team. Danny plays a massive part within that."

"What about with the students? Is he respected as a teacher?" Adrian nodded.

"Yes, greatly. He's a fantastic teacher and has gotten even the toughest of students the grades they needed. His classes love him. Somehow he manages to make mathematics seem slightly less dull." A quiet chuckle arose from the room.

"Great. You seem to know his family very closely."

"Yes, we're great friends."

"As Danny's friend, does he or did he ever show regret or remorse for what happened? Is it something that affects him now?"

"Oh yes, he did and still does. As has been said, he's better now. It doesn't hang over him quite as much but he used to constantly regret it. Would really beat himself up about it. But now he has moved on in some ways but you can still see the genuine remorse in his eyes. He honestly doesn't stop thinking about it. He regrets it from the bottom of his heart."

"So overall you would say that Danny is an honest and just man who regrets his choices?" Adrian nodded.

"Yes, there is no way at all that he would have acted maliciously on that day or would have meant any harm. Everyone around him and close to him would tell you that." Richard nodded, seeming satisfied. Just as the judge was about to end his inquest the prosecution stood up after being handed a piece of paper a few seconds before. Richard suddenly looked worried. Danny, Clara and Adrian all looked at each other in confusion.

"Your honour I have a new lead." Richard sighed. "I've just been given evidence about an incident at your place of work involving Danny and a student." Adrian, Danny and Clara all sighed in anger. Why did they have to bring this up? It was so long ago. "7 years ago there was an incident in a classroom in which Danny got angry and acted upon a child. No charges were pressed and no report was made despite this. Can you explain?" She looked to Adrian.

"Nothing was said because not much happened. It was a misunderstanding. The student, who was almost an adult themselves, thought it would be funny to make some comments about the army in Danny's class. This was back when the events were still quite raw in his mind. If it had happened now the outcome would have been different I assure you. Danny reacted badly to what he said and lost it a bit. Not much though, he never laid a hand on him." The women intervened.

"Here it says that there was physical contact?" They all looked up in disgust.

"No! There wasn't at all! Danny never touched him and he never would. The whole event was brought to a close by myself and Clara. No action was taken as nothing at all happened, like I said. The student moved along and no more was said. It was a long time ago." She wasn't satisfied.

"How can I trust what you have said? Are you claiming that this evidence is wrong?"

"Yes I am. Danny never touched him. He didn't. I don't know where you got that evidence from but it's false."

"You must be sure about that as if you are lying we've got a whole different aspect to look into. Not only did Danny lose his patience but he used physical force on a child. Does this show a violent streak?" Adrian shook his head.

"No no. You've got it all wrong! It's not true. Danny would never do that. He wouldn't. He would never intentionally hurt a child." Richard interrupted.

"Your honour, I must intervene. Is there any evidence for this? Any formal evidence I mean. Not just that sheet of paper." He looked at her dismissively. It went quiet for a second. After a pause she replied awkwardly.

"No... No there isn't your honour." The judge nodded.

"Then I must request that we move on. No judgement should be made on purely opinions." Richard pleaded. After another pause the judge nodded again.

"Okay, I'd like to bring this case to a close. I believe that enough has been heard." Danny sighed in relief. "Your concluding statements please." Richard and the woman nodded. Richard stood and faced the jury.

"It needs to be deeply considered that Danny is a kind and caring man. He has a stable family unit and a great job in which he is respected. He has suffered in many ways in the time since the incident. His mental state can now be seen to be improving but it is clear that remorse and guilt has been and will always be shown. Not an ounce of that man deserves to be punished anymore. He has shown that he is sorry and that he has now got his life back on track. There is also a lot to be said from the fact that he volunteered himself to the front line in the first place. No coward does that. Albeit it went wrong but he showed courage and the makings of a great man. His willingness to come forward not only shows honestly but gratitude. He believes that Mr and Mrs Abas deserve justice and has clearly shown his want for that in this court room." He nodded to Danny and sat down. The prosecution stood and, too, faced the jury.

"Despite the persuasion from the defence before us it needs to be considered that Danny has shown much disarray. There is the possibility that he drunk over the limit at the party the night before and that this lead to fatal malicious behaviour. This cannot be ignored. Despite volunteering himself for the front line it is possible that he did so in order to cause destruction. As a young soldier he knew that he was not trained enough so deserves to take the responsibility for his actions. After the case there was no effort to make things right by seeing the parents or making a formal announcement of his regret and sorrow. Therefore the claims of regret may be purely fiction. No evidence can be given for that. Finally there is also inconclusive evidence that he did or did not physically harm a student at work. Without this evidence you cannot tell yourselves that he is an honest man as there is a possibility that he has a violent past. If you don't decide guilty for him then do it for the parents. They and their little boy deserve to get justice. That is in your hands." She sat down. Richard looked a little worried making Danny panic.

"Jury, tomorrow you will come back with your decision. It must be at least a majority based on evidence and fact. Your emotion should not come into this." Everyone started to be dismissed.

Clara and Adrian met and then walked round to find Danny and Richard. Clara noticed that Danny looked a little shaken up so she walked over and hugged him tightly.

"It's going to be okay Danny. It will." He nodded halfheartedly. Clara sighed, something told her that they rest of the day ahead was going to be a struggle. Richard began to speak.

"You're free to go now. Try and stay calm this afternoon and get some sleep tonight. I know it's easier said than done but you're in good position right now." Danny looked up.

"What about the party? And the student?" Richard shook his head.

"I know it seems like the evidence against you is outweighing the things for you but in my opinion there is no actual evidence to base it on. It's not evidence really. They have no proof that you drunk too much that night and they also have no evidence to say that you touched that student. Trust me, you're in a good position." He nodded again and smiled. He shook Richards hand and they headed home for the rest of the day. Not that it was going to be joyful...

**Thank you for readingggggg**


	45. Chapter 45- Verdict

**Hey, here's the next chapter! Sorry it's a bit late, this storyline is proving very difficult to write. And brace yourselves, this chapters' a bit of a journey... **

Verdict

They arrived back and Adrian stayed for a while. Dave and him got chatting about something or other which Clara was surprised that Danny didn't get involved in but then come to think of it, he wasn't in the best state of mind. She walked over with Noah in her arms and smiled at him.

"Are you okay?" He shrugged.

"I don't know, I really don't know." She sighed and watched him walk away from her. He went into the garden and sat down with Ellie and Lily on the grass. Clearly looking for some distraction from his thoughts. Clara sat down with Noah and smiled down at his little face. Dave walked over and sat with her.

"Is he okay?" She looked up, unsure of what to say. "Stupid question." She nodded and leant into him. Adrian's phone went off so he answered it quickly. Once he had finished he came back into the room.

"Sorry that was work, I'm gonna have to go." Clara nodded.

"That's fine, is everything okay?"

"Oh yeah, it's good, just some trouble with a supply teacher. Is there anything you need? Anything at all?" She shook her head.

"No were okay, thank you though. Thank you so much." She kissed his cheek and he said his goodbyes.

A while later Noah had gone down so Clara had some time to spend with the girls and Danny. She walked through and sat with them.

"All okay out here?" They nodded. "What have you been up to today then?" Lily was full of stories.

"We went to the park and Noah was sick on grandad so we had to come back." They both started to giggle hysterically putting a huge smile on Danny and Clara's face. "But then we went back again and made grandad go down the slide." Clara smiled.

"Grandad went down the slide!?" They nodded.

"He nearly got stuck though so we had to help him down." Ellie said in between her giggles.

"How was your day with your friend?" Lily asked innocently. Danny frowned.

"What friend sweetie?"

"The man that talks to you on the phone and you have been going to see a lot." Danny smiled as he realised who she meant.

"Oh, do you mean Richard?" She nodded. "It was a bit of a boring day really, not as fun as yours." He steered away from the subject, not wanting to go into detail.

"Can you stay at home with us tomorrow? I miss you." Danny smiled, holding back the tears.

"Yeah, tomorrow we can all be together." Clara placed hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, we can go and do something nice." Ellie and Lily nodded. Clara noticed Danny struggling to keep it together so intervened. "Why don't you two go and play inside, it looks like it's going to rain in a minute." They nodded and ran off together. Once they were inside Danny turned to face her.

"Why did we say that? I might not be home tomorrow." She sighed.

"But you could be. You don't know what they are saying in there. Richard thinks that it's looking good, you're defence is strong. There's a good chance that you'll be free to go tomorrow." He shook his head.

"But what if I don't? Then what?" He wiped his eyes and stood up. He walked away from her without looking back. She sighed. She didn't really know what to say anymore.

She sat there for a few minutes and then headed back inside, feeling the rain begin to fall. She was surprised by who she saw when she entered the living room.

"Hi Gran! What are you doing here?" Clara smiled and sat down beside her, kissing her on the cheek before she got comfortable.

"Your dad said that I may be needed for a chat and some support." Clara smiled up at her.

"I think he's right. Things aren't going too well." She nodded sympathetically and placed her arm around Clara.

"No, it's a very unfortunate situation which you don't deserve at all. But it will all be fine in the end." Clara sighed.

"Will it though Gran?" She looked up in slight surprise.

"Of course it will! This is the Pink and Oswald family were talking about here! You'll get through it like always!" Clara laughed a little.

"Oh how I wish I had your enthusiasm."

"Well it's good for some things." They both laughed. "But honestly Clara, it will be fine. No matter what the outcome, you will be absolutely fine." Clara sighed.

"But what if... What if he's charged? What if he's charged as guilty?" Now her gran began to hold her tighter and look a little less enthusiastic.

"If that happens, and god forbid, as a family you will pull through. It will be hard, I'm not saying that it won't be, but your love for each other will show and make things slightly easier. Your dad and I are always here whenever you need it. You'd be able to explain it to the children and they'd understand. Even if they didn't, they'd try to. You'd be able to go and visit Danny and then soon enough he would be out again. It won't be easy at all but if you take things a day at a time it won't seem as daunting. But stop with that thought for now as that is not going to happen." Clara wiped away her tears that had began to fall down her cheeks and sighed in frustration.

"Ugh I don't know what to do with myself! I know that I need to focus on the fact that he'll not be charged but I can't take my mind off the fact that he might be. The kids keep asking questions that I can't bring myself to answer and Danny's at his wits end. I can't see a solution." She took a deep breath as her gran placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Clara stop for a minute. Take a breather. Think about what you're doing and saying. Panicking isn't good for anyone. Let your dad and I think about the kids for now. You've only got four more hours to wait and then you'll know what needs to be done next. Soon you'll be back at the court to hear the verdict. Speak to Danny. Make sure he's coping okay. You can do this. I know you can." She took another deep breath and turned to face her gran. Her gran wiped her tears again and kissed her head. "You're the strongest person I know Clara. I'm so so proud of you and your mum would be too. You've coped with this for so long now and you're so close. Don't give in now. Keep charging on as you always do, as that's what makes you truly amazing." Clara smiled.

"Thank you gran. I don't know what I'd do without you to be honest." Her gran laughed.

"Oh I'm sure you'd cope just fine. But don't worry because I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here for as long as you need." Clara nodded and smiled. As she did Ellie and Lily ran into the room to show them the pictures they had drawn. As Lily sat on her lap and talked to her happily she couldn't help but cuddle into her. Something about that moment made her see that she had to he strong for her kids. She needed to be brave for her family.

As she walked out to the kitchen she looked through the window to see Danny back in the garden again. He was pacing up and down. She noticed his hands visibly shaking. She sighed and went out to speak to him. When he saw her he looked up, panic in his eyes.

"Clara I can't do this. I can't do it. Please I can't do it." The pain in his voice made her heart break.

"It's okay it's okay. Don't panic. It's fine. Don't worry." He looked up.

"But what if it's not fine! I can't go to prison!" He pulled away and ran down the side of the garden and out of the back gate. Clara sighed. "Danny! Danny wait!?" He was gone, he'd run off down the street. She ran back inside to get her shoes and then called in to Dave to let him know where she was going. As she got out of the house she looked side to side to see where he had gone. When he was nowhere to be seen she turned to her instinct. He was at the local park. He had to be.

She ran as fast as she could to find him ignoring the odd looks she was getting by the passers by. She turned round the corner and stopped once she got to the field in front of the park. She looked across but saw him nowhere.

"Danny where have you gone?" She said to herself. She ran up to the park and looked again. She racked her brain for other places he may have gone. Suddenly it clicked. She knew where he was. She ran down the path in the other direction, then through the gate and into the woods. She sighed in relief when she saw him sat where she expected him to be. In a small clearing where they always took the kids. There was a rope swing and some stepping stones. Danny always loved it there. He sat with his head in his hands, covering his face from her as though he was trying to hide his crying. Clara sighed, feeling rather out of breath, and sat next to him.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have ran." She shook her head.

"No, don't worry about that. I found you so it's okay."

"How did you find me?" She shrugged.

"You love this place, and by process of elimination I suppose." He nodded and wiped his eyes. "I know it's easy for me to say but things will be fine. I get that you're worried and scared and that you don't know what to think about the future. I am too. But, as hard as it is, you need to stay focused on the aim of today. No matter what the verdict is you need to cope through it. It's inevitable." He nodded again.

"I know I do... I know. I just, I can't shake the thought of what will happen if I'm guilty." She sighed and picked up his hand.

"That is not going to happen but if it does then we will cope like we always do. It won't be easy and it will take its toll on us all but we'll be fine." He looked up.

"How?" She hesitated, realising that she didn't actually have an answer.

"I'll explain to the kids what has happened, we'll come and visit you. You can call me." He shook his head.

"Tell them that I'm a child killer eh?" She shook her head.

"Danny that is not what you are! It was an accident that you have paid for. You don't belong in jail, you know that really." He said nothing back. Clara shook her head. "Right?" No answer. "Danny?" He turned to face her.

"I don't know okay! I don't know. I've forgotten how to think and feel. I don't know whether the suffering that I have had is enough or if I deserve to be in a cell serving my time. This case has ruined me and at the moment I feel like I'm falling back down into a place that I never want to be in again! The place that I never want our kids to see me in! I hate it, I hate how I feel! I know the verdict is in a few hours time but it's still going to impact us after that. I don't know how I'm going to cope through it." He took a deep breath and rubbed his hands over his face. Clara looked at him, tears in her eyes.

"You are a good man. A man who has family and friends who love him. A man who is amazing at his job and has a great life to live. You have suffered and grieved for that little boy more than anyone else could or would have. Through all of those years of suffering you've never, not once, put yourself first. You've always thought of other people. You've worked your hardest since then to build your life back up and now look what you've got. Does that look like the work of a child killer? Or even a criminal for that matter? You are going to cope because you're strong and you never give in. It will take time but you'll get there, you'll get back to where you were. If you don't do it for yourself you'll do it for your kids. Now, look at me." No response. He was turned away but she could tell he was crying. "Look at me Danny." He finally did. "You are going to walk into that courtroom today with a brave face on. You're going to leave free of charge knowing that you are not a guilty man. Knowing that prison was never the answer and never will be." He looked into her eyes and started to cry more hysterically. She wrapped her arms around him. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you or anyone else. I promise." She sat and held him, holding back her own tears as she did so.

"Let's go home." He said, taking her by slight surprise by that being the first thing he had said in a while.

"You sure?" He wiped his eyes and took a deep breath before standing and holding out his hand for her to take.

"Yeah. I want to see the kids before we have to go. And it's not like I can avoid going home anyway." She smiled and nodded as she stood and took his hand. As they started to walk he turned to face her. "Thank you." She frowned and then smiled.

"For talking to you?" He nodded.

"Yeah, it helped. I may not look like it helped but it did. So thank you." She smiled and leant into his shoulder.

"I meant all of it you know. Everything is going to be fine, whatever the verdict." He sighed and nodded.

They got home and Danny headed straight into the living room to see Ellie and Lily. Clara went to get Noah from upstairs and then everyone sat together. Gran and Dave had been so so good at keeping the kids busy. It wasn't that Clara didn't want to tell them what was happening but she just didn't feel like it was appropriate. She also didn't know how she would tell them for that matter, she didn't know if she could bring herself to do it. Danny called Ellie and Lily over and ushered them to sit one on each leg.

"Your mum and I have to go out again in a little while. Mummy will come home but I don't know when I will come back. It depends on what Richard says. But I want you to be good girls for grandad and great grandma whilst we're out. And I also want you to know that I love you so so much and will always love you. No matter where I am or what is happening. Always." They smiled and kissed his cheek, none the wiser of what was going on. That was the best way.

"I love you too daddy." Ellie said.

"Me too, even more than Ellie does." Lily chirped. Ellie shook her head.

"No way. That's not possible." Danny laughed and hugged them both tightly. Clara watched on in angst. She then got up and placed Noah in his arms. Both girls laughed when Noah started to smile a little as he looked up at them. Danny sat looking at them all with adoration, enjoying the moment.

They arrived at the court and were greeted by Richard and Adrian, who had offered to come for support. Danny could stop his hands from shaking. His breathing was getting more and more irrational and he couldn't stop pacing up and down. They had to wait for a few minutes beforehand in order for the court to be ready. It felt like hours. Not just for Danny but for everyone. As Danny was pacing he saw someone through the corner of his eye. Abas' parents were arriving and walking towards him, presumably to get to the court. Danny instinctively stopped walking and stood to the side, not sure whether to make eye contact or not. As they got closer the man, much to Danny's surprise, stopped and turned to face him.

"It's Danny isn't it?" He nodded, a little shell shocked.

"Um, sorry, yes it is." The man shook his head and smiled a little.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to shock you. We just wanted to say that we're sorry for what this has put you through. We did not choose to bring the case back, you could say that we were as roped into it as you were. As you said, we want it to be buried in the past. With it being such a long time ago me and my wife have had a while to go over the events. We wanted you to know that we don't blame you for any of this. As far as we see it it was an accident. Samir is no longer with us but he wouldn't want this. Justice has been served by what you've suffered and no charges need to be pressed in our opinion. Again, we're sorry for the trouble it's caused for you. We hope that you are not guilty and get the verdict you wish for. You're a good man. The loss of our son was destroying for us but we have coped and we are here today. You've suffered enough. You have our blessing to move on and live your life freely." Danny looked at him in absolute disbelief. He didn't know how to feel. The man held out his hand which Danny shook. "God bless you and your family." They smiled gracefully and headed inside. Danny fell on to the seat behind him in shock. Clara ran over and held him in her arms, now crying herself. Danny couldn't speak through the utter release of pain. He couldn't take in the fact that he had been shown forgiveness for what he had done, it didn't compute. Adrian came over and sat to the other side of him. He placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You're so close now mate. Let's do this." Danny stood up, still in a state of disbelief. The call was given for the court so Richard turned to face Danny.

"Okay, this is it. Whatever happens remember that you have been so brave to follow this through and people look up to you for that. Stay as calm as you can and we'll all be here to support you afterwards. My help and support for doesn't end now that the case is coming to a close, I'll be with you for as long as you need." Danny nodded and shook his hand. Clara followed him over. She turned him round to face her and placed her hands on his cheeks.

"I love you. I love you so so much, don't ever forget that." He kissed her and wiped her tears away.

"I love you too." He was led inside away from Clara who took a deep breath. Adrian placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her into a hug.

"Come on, let's go." She nodded and they walked inside together.

The court room was much more tense than it had been the last few days. It surpassed the level of tension Clara thought was even possible. The judge sat and began to speak.

"Today we are here to hear the verdict and sentence of Mr Daniel Pink over the death of Samir Abas." Danny took a deep breath. The judge continued to speak and comment to the prosecution and Richard but Danny had blocked them out. Not listening managed to keep him slightly calmer. Eventually, though, it was time. Clara's heart was in her throat. "Will the accused please stand." Danny stood up slowly. The tension in his body was like nothing he had ever felt before. "Now will the jury's spokesperson please stand." A man stood up across from Danny. "The first accusation is murder. Have you reached a verdict upon which you are all agreed?"

"Yes your honour."

"Do you find Daniel Pink guilty or not guilty of the murder of Samir Abas?" Danny looked round to Clara who was tensely sat forward on her chair, barely breathing. The time in between the judge speaking and the spokesperson starting must have only been a few seconds but it somehow felt like a lifetime.

"Not guilty." Danny sighed in relief. That was the worst one out of the way.

"The second accusation is manslaughter. Have you reached a verdict upon which you are all agreed?"

"No your honour." Danny panicked a little. He saw Richard squirm in his seat.

"Then you must rely on a majority decision. Do you find Daniel Pink guilty or not guilty for the manslaughter of Samir Abas?" Again the pause was torture.

"Not guilty." Danny found himself feeling rather dizzy with relief. He held himself up as he heard Clara's cry from the background.

"The issue of malpractice and maliciousness within the situation has not been led on as a charge due to lack of evidence. This presents itself as the end of the case, Mr Pink, you are free to go." The feeling Danny had was indescribable. An unusual mixture of elation, dizziness, confusion and stress. He was led outside and back to the corridor where he had stood minutes before. He heard nothing, saw nothing, felt nothing. He was numb with shock. Clara ran out towards him, tears of joy running down her cheeks. As she got to him he stumbled backwards. She grabbed his arm to hold him up and Adrian ran to take his weight. They sat him down on the bench and kept a tight hold on him.

"Danny you've done it, it's over. You're free to go." Clara said to him. He looked at her blankly, nothing making sense in his head. She began to cry again as she held his face in her hands. "It's all okay, it's okay." She spoke to him softly. It wasn't for another 20 minutes that he eventually managed to get a word out.

"I can go home. I haven't been charged?" Clara smiled a little.

"No, not guilty. You can go home. It's all over." He sighed. She kissed his cheek and held him close. "I am so so proud of you. You've stuck through it and now it's all over. I love you." He smiled a little and kissed her back. He felt so strange now, the numbness had started to fade yet he hadn't gotten over the feeling of disbelief. It was all so surreal.

Richard headed over with a smile on his face. Danny shook his hand.

"Thank you so much. I really mean it. I can't put into words how thankful I am for your help and support." Richard nodded and smiled.

"Just doing my job." Danny shook his head.

"How did I know you were going to say that?" They all laughed. "But seriously, thank you so much." He smiled again.

"It was my pleasure. And remember, what I said still stands. I'm only a phone call away if you need anything at all. Don't hesitate to ask." Danny nodded.

"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind." Richard shook his and Clara's hands once more.

"Good good. Now go on, head home to those kids of yours. And enjoy it as you're free to go now." He winked and headed off down the corridor. Danny sighed and grabbed Clara's hand. Just as they were about to head off Danny saw the boy's parents again. They stopped and smiled.

"Congratulations. I'm glad you got what you wanted." Danny nodded.

"Thank you. And once again, I'm so so sorry for everything." The man stopped him.

"No no, like I said, you're forgiven. Samir still lives in our hearts and our memories. As long as you hold that, he is still with us really." Danny smiled a little. "Can I ask one thing of you?" Now he looked up.

"Yes, of course, anything at all."

"Move on with your life. Don't keep living in regret. As a person, a husband, a father, it is your duty to live your life as fully as possible. Know that no matter what happened in the past, you still deserve to live happily. Bring your children up to be the best they can be. Go out and do all of the things that you yearn to do. Make the world a better place for yourself and everyone around you. For Samir. Samir would like that. He would be proud to see that." Danny smiled.

"I promise to do that. Everyday from this moment. Thank you." They both smiled and nodded. Everyone said their goodbyes and Danny watched them leave.

Danny picked up Clara's hand again.

"Mrs Pink?" She smiled up at him.

"Yes Mr Pink?"

"Can you take me home please?" They both grinned.

"Oh that would be my pleasure. Let's go." And with that they headed to the car.

That evening Danny sat up in the office watching the sun set slowly. For some reason the colours seemed to look more vibrant than normal. The birds appeared to sing more sweetly. The wind whistled more peacefully. In that moment, as he sat watching another day draw to a close, he began to feel immensely grateful for the world he lived in. On a day when everything he ever loved could have been taken from him he found himself in a state of gratitude and tranquility. It was as though throughout the case and the hustle and bustle of life he had forgotten to be thankful for what he had. Not only had he come from the court with freedom but he had been granted forgiveness from the two people who mattered most. Even in the darkest of times, even when the worst thing possible had been lost, acceptance and mercy had been conveyed. That, and that alone, had revived his belief in himself and humanity. Page one. He had now somewhere to begin from, a fresh start for Samir Abas.

**Thank you for reading! The next chapter will be late as I'm going on holiday but oh well ;) x**


	46. Chapter 46- Family Getaway

**Helloooo, welcome back chums. Sorry this is so late! I've been busy and have been on holiday! I hope you enjoy, it's a little happier this time, at long last :) x**

Family getaway

Clara rolled over and sighed at the sound of Noah crying. She got up slowly, still half asleep, and strolled into his room. As soon as she entered he stopped and laid happily on his back. She leant over the cot and picked him up gently.

"Hello you! What's that smiley face for eh?! Are you excited for our holiday!?" He smiled back up to her. Clara grinned and sat down to feed him. As she did so she looked over to the clock to see that it wasn't far off time to get up anyway. Their flight was at 11am so they needed to get the kids up in good time and head off to the airport. She felt quite nervous about it all really. It was the kids first time abroad so that bared some excitement but she was also apprehensive about getting there in one piece. With the Pink family's track history of disasters, taking three kids on a plane seemed a daunting prospect. But despite this she couldn't help but have a smile on her face. They had wanted to take the kids to Disney Land for so long and now it was finally happening. They were going to love it, she knew it.

Nevertheless she headed into her bedroom with Noah in her arms to wake Danny. She crept in and laid back in bed quietly. She lifted up Noah so that his hands touched Danny's face gently. Danny smiled and opened his eyes slowly.

"Well who's this young man waking me up this morning?" Noah laughed a little bit as Danny took him off of Clara and kissed his cheeks. She smiled and kissed his head.

"Morning." He grinned.

"Morning. It feels very early." She laughed.

"It is, it's just gone 7. But we've got lots to do." He nodded and kissed her softly.

"We have indeed, first to wake up two sleepy girls." Clara sighed a little.

"I hate waking them up early, they go all floppy on me and refuse to get up." Danny laughed.

"Remind them that it's holiday day and they'll be downstairs like a shot." She kissed him again and then got up to walk to the door. She smiled as she walked along. The whole court case had been difficult for everyone so it was so nice to see Danny happy again. They were burying it behind them and moving on.

First it was Ellie.

"Sweetie, time to wake up." She shook her head and turned the other way. "Come on you. Wakey wakey." She rolled over and laid into Clara still with her eyes shut. "It's holiday time!" Now she opened her eyes slowly and smiled.

"I am excited but I'm very tired too." Clara chuckled.

"Snap, so am I. But today is going to be very exciting!" She nodded and sat up to rub her eyes. "Go on into our room and see daddy yeah?" She nodded sleepily and walked away from Clara's reach. Clara stood up and went into Lily's room. She had to laugh as she looked at her laid with her legs half out of bed and her hair all over her face. "Lily. Time to get up sweetie." Lily smiled in her sleep and held her arms out for Clara to take.

"Is it holiday time mummy?" Clara smiled and picked her up gently.

"Yeah! Are you excited!?" Lily nodded her head which was flopped over Clara's shoulder, still limp from sleep. Clara took her into their bedroom and sat her down next to Danny. She immediately laid back down and rested her head on Danny's chest. He hugged her close.

"Morning sleepy head." She yawned and tutted in her state of half sleep making them all laugh a little.

Once they were all up and dressed Clara made breakfast whilst meticulously looking through her lists of things to pack and making sure they were there. Danny smiled and sighed at her.

"Clara come and sit down. Eat your breakfast." She nodded.

"I will, I just need to check I've got-" He interrupted.

"Clara stop stressing, what ever you're looking for its already there. We checked and double checked last night." She sighed and sat down.

"I guess."

"It's going to be fine. We're going to have an amazing holiday and everything is going to go to plan. Just how you like it, organised and structured." She sighed and smiled. "Right good, so sit down and eat your toast. You're gonna need the energy." He tickled Lily on the tummy making her giggle.

After struggling with bags in order to get them to fit in the car boot they finally got on the road. Noah and Ellie had fallen to sleep, Noah by default and Ellie due to how much she loved her lie ins. The fact that she hadn't gotten one that morning had come as a shock. They had been driving for less that half an hour when Lily called for Clara.

"Mummy." She said sweetly.

"Yes sweetie?"

"I need a wee." Clara and Danny sighed.

"Already?! You just went at home." Lily nodded.

"I know but I drank a lot of juice so..." Clara smiled at her little face.

"Okay hold on, we'll go at the services." They stopped off rather quickly and without waking the other two which came as a huge relief for both Clara and Danny. It wasn't long before Lily started to talk again.

"Mummy." Clara smiled and turned round again.

"Yes?"

"Can I have something to eat?" Clara sighed.

"Can you wait for a little while? The snacks are for the airport and for on the plane." Lily looked down to her tummy.

"I could but my tummy really would like a chocolate biscuit." Clara and Danny smiled.

"Okay but only one. Then you have to wait." She smiled and nodded.

"Thank you mummy." She grinned cheekily. A few minutes later they heard the familiar little voice again. "Mummy." Clara looked at Danny.

"This is going to be a long journey..." As she spoke Noah began to cry as well. Danny laughed and leant his head back on the seat.

They finally got to the airport and, surprisingly, managed to check in very easily. Ellie and Lily were on strict instructions to not let go of each other's hands in case of getting lost. That proved as a good idea until they had to go to the toilet and had an argument over which way to walk. Nevertheless, there had been no proper upset during the morning which calmed Clara down a lot.

They found their gate and headed to get on the plane. They ended up with Ellie sat by the window, Lily next to her and then Clara on the aisle. Danny was just next to them on the other side with Noah perched on his lap. They had supplied a special seatbelt for Noah which he seemed to like trying to undo. Danny had lost count of the number of times he re-fastened it up.

Once in the air Ellie and Lily shared headphones to watch a movie on their iPad and Clara stuck to reading her book. Danny wanted to read his but Noah had other ideas. He wriggled and refused to sit still. Danny picked him up and held him so that his head rested on his shoulder.

"Come on buddy. Go to sleep." Clara laughed.

"You wish. There's no way he's sleeping now." Danny smiled.

"I know, we can only hope. At least the flight is only an hour or so. I think we can survive for that long." He winked at her.

They landed in France and grabbed their cases. Once they had sorted everything out they headed for the Disney hotel. Ellie and Lily were beside themselves with excitement. They sat in the back of the car hand in hand, grinning ear to ear.

"Can we meet Elsa?!" Clara and Danny smiled and nodded.

"Yeah!"

"And Anna?!"

"Yes!"

"And go on the rides!?" Clara laughed.

"Yeah! We can do it all, everything! We're staying for a whole week so we have all the time in the world." They both giggled in excitement making Danny and Clara smile.

The hotel room was perfect. It was Disney themed and each room was decorated as a different movie. The balcony looked right out onto Disney Land itself giving the most amazing view of the castle. Ellie and Lily gasped as they ran inside.

"Look! Look!" Ellie started to run around the room pointing at different things in excitement. Lily stood by the door looking around with her mouth wide open in surprise. Danny smiled and crouched down next to her so that he could pull her into a hug.

"Does this look cool?" She nodded, still looking shocked. Danny grinned and picked her up happily. He placed her down in one of the top bunk beds and giggled. "Oh no! Can you not get down now!?" She shook her head and looked down. "What a shame! You'll have to stay there for the whole holiday!" She giggled and shook her head again.

"No daddy! No!" Danny laughed and put her back down gently. They all placed down their cases and bags to get settled in the room.

Later that day they got ready to have an explore. Ellie and Lily put their matching Minnie Mouse ears on and Clara had dressed Noah in a Finding Nemo baby-gro. Danny walked in to see all three kids in their respective clothes and laughed.

"You look amazing!" Both girls laughed. "Come on, let's go." They walked down to the reception area and grabbed a map. Clara and Danny held hands and watched the girls run happily a little ahead of them.

They got to the park gates and Ellie and Lily let out a gasp as they looked up.

"Can we go inside!?" Lily said.

"Yeah! That's where we're going now!" Danny laughed as they ran to join one of the queues. The first thing they saw as they went in was a huge water feature in the centre with gift shops all around. Ahead of that was an open field which looked out onto the castle and the rest of the park. Before Clara or Danny could say anything Ellie and Lily had run on to the field, laughing happily as they did. It made Clara so happy to see the girls laughing so carelessly. She had been so worried about this holiday and now that it had arrived she felt a little more relaxed. Everything had slotted into place just like Danny said it would.

It didn't take long for Ellie to see something that she liked the look of. She gasped and grinned from ear to ear.

"Look! Look! It's Elsa and Anna! Can we go!? Can we go and say hello!?" Everyone smiled. Danny nodded.

"I'll race you there." She giggled and ran off next to her dad, Lily followed not far behind. Clara watched on happily. Even Noah seemed to be happy too, he laid in her arms with a little sleepy smile on his face. They got to the queue and both girls jumped up and down with excitement.

"Can we go now?!" Lily said.

"No not yet, we've got to wait in the queue first." She nodded and rested her head on Clara's leg. Clara laughed.

"You've not worn yourself out already have you?" Lily nodded.

"I think so mummy." Clara smiled down at her.

"That's okay, you'll wake up again when you see Elsa!" She grinned.

They got to the front of the queue at long last and were taken inside. As they entered the door both girls stopped dead.

"Look who it is!" Danny said as he crouched down to them. "Go and say hello!" They smiled nervously and walked a little over to the two women in dress up. The best thing about it was the look on the girls faces. To everyone else the women were just actors but to the children they were real. They couldn't believe that they were seeing the actual Elsa and Anna. The look of disbelief was perfect. The women spoke to the girls happily and then pictures were taken. They said their thank you's and then walked back outside. Ellie jumped up and down and giggled.

"That was SO much fun! Elsa said that she liked my dress!" Clara hugged her and kissed her head.

"Did you like it?!" She nodded.

"That was the best!" Ellie continued to grin from ear to ear. Meanwhile, Lily looked a bit confused making Clara laugh.

"What's up honey?" She sighed and pointed at the room they had just been in.

"Was that real Elsa and Anna?" Clara and Danny looked at each other, not sure what to say. They didn't want to lie to her but they also didn't want to ruin the experience. Danny stepped in.

"Yeah!" She still looked confused.

"But where's Olaf? And where's all the snow?" Danny laughed a little.

"That's back where they made the film! Elsa and Anna came here on holiday like us to see you." Now she smiled a little.

"That was nice of them." They all laughed at how she said it so sweetly.

"It was very nice of them wasn't it!"

They continued to explore until the girls started to slow down. Lily yawned and rubbed her eyes and Ellie sat down on the wall next to them.

"Oops have we got some tired little girls?" Danny said. They both nodded.

"How about we head back then? We can have a chill and go in our pool?" They smiled and grabbed one of Danny's hands each.

Weirdly, both girls seem to perk up when they got back. Lily went back to bouncing off the walls like normal which Clara was not too pleased about, especially as she was trying to keep Noah asleep for a little longer. Danny collapsed on the bed but was in no way going to get a nap while the girls were so hyper. Clara grabbed their swimming stuff from the case and handed it to them.

"Come on you two, leave your daddy alone." They laughed. "Go into your room and get ready, then we can go in the pool!" They nodded and smiled before running off through the door. Clara took the opportunity to grab her bikini and head to the bathroom to get herself changed. She walked back out a little while later to see Danny sat on the bed, his eyes fixated on her. She smiled and walked towards him.

"How you look that good after having three children I'll never know." She turned her head to check the girls weren't looking and sat down on his lap. She kissed him deeply making him smile. He then tried to pull her to lay down on the bed but she resisted.

"Danny no. We can't." She smiled at him pulling a sad face. "The kids will be back in a second." He nodded, knowing she was right, and kissed her once more. He sighed.

"Oh things were so much easier before kids." He winked at her to which she smiled back. It was then that Ellie and Lily ran back in. Clara laughed.

"Lily you've got your top on backwards." Everyone laughed. She looked down at it and giggled.

"Oh." Clara ushered her over and knelt down to sort it out. Danny grabbed Noah's water proof nappies for the pool and woke him up gently to get him ready. Before long they headed out of the balcony doors and down to the pool.

As Clara was sitting down Lily let go of her hand and ran straight towards the pool. Clara jumped up and managed to pull her back before she fell in.

"Lily! No, no, you need to wait for daddy and I! You can't swim in that bit, it's too deep." She nodded and followed Clara back. Clara looked at Danny.

"Alright, I'm on pool duty first then." She smiled sweetly and let him kiss her on the head. "Come on then you two!" He held the girls' hands and took them over to the steps to get in the shallow end. Ellie held back and shook her head.

"I don't want to daddy. It's scary." He smiled and turned slightly to face her. Ellie had always been unconfident in water, she didn't like swimming at all. Clara had tried her best to encourage swimming lessons but Ellie was having none of it.

"No it's not! The water is nice and warm. You can see the bottom. It's only shallow! You can hold daddy's hand the whole time." She hesitated and agreed, much to Clara and Danny's surprise. They walked down the steps slowly, giggling as they went. Lily stepped down to fast and tripped a little bit but Danny managed to catch her before she fell in. Everyone laughed. "Careful honey." Clara passed over their arm bands so that they could float on their own. Lily let go and kicked her legs furiously, splashing Ellie and Danny.

"Hey!" Ellie shouted.

"What? I'm swimming!" Lily giggled and continued to splash. Ellie eventually got in the water and soon even she was enjoying herself. Danny called over to Clara.

"Come on then! It's your turn now!" She shook her head and laughed.

"I can't sorry! Noah's asleep." He shook his head.

"No he's not, we can see him!" Ellie said. Clara sighed.

"But it's cold!" Danny laughed.

"Stop with the excuses! Get in!" She gave him a look and then walked round to the steps. She held Noah up out of the water and walked over to Danny.

"See! It's not cold mummy!" Lily said as she splashed over to Clara. Clara laughed.

"Okay, I believe you now. Look at you go! You're doing so well!" She passed Noah to Danny and went to swim next to Lily. Danny smiled at Noah who's sun hat was flapping in his face which was white from sun cream.

"How about you then!? Shall we see if you like the water?!" Noah smiled a little. Danny dunked his legs in gently for him to get used to it. He immediately started to cry making Danny laugh sadly. "Aww I'm sorry, it's okay." He lifted him back out and held him close to settle him down. Ellie walked over and smiled at him.

"Don't cry! It's just like having a bath!" She dunked herself down in the water up to her neck and laughed. Noah seemed to watch her intently. "Can we put him in the rubber ring daddy?" Danny nodded. She ran out to grab it and then Danny slotted him into it slowly. This time he didn't cry but he clapped his hands a tiny bit and smiled. "He likes it!" Everyone smiled and laughed. They continued to play together until the sun began to set marking the end of an amazing day.

The next five days whizzed by. The holiday was going so fast, too fast. With only one whole day left they were beginning to think about travelling home which was the last thing they wanted to do. Clara and Danny took the kids down to the kids club in the hotel giving them a few hours of peace. As they dropped them off Clara walked away slowly, waving at them as she did.

"Clara they'll be fine! We'll come back and get them soon." She sighed and grabbed his hand.

"I know but I don't like leaving them." He smiled.

"You've checked the kids club a million times so you know they're safe. And they'll have a great time! It gives us some time to explore too." Now she smiled, knowing that he was right. "There we go, that's the smile I want to see." She leant her head on his shoulder as they walked down the street idly.

As they walked they came to an open plaza which had lots of shops and cafes around the edges. Trees draped down the buildings and birds chirped happily amongst the passer by. Clara smiled.

"It's beautiful." Danny nodded in agreement. They walked a little further through and saw an alley way which led down to the river. The sun shone off of the water and illuminated Clara's face. Boats sailed gently across leaving behind small ripples as they went. Clara couldn't help but sigh and lean into Danny again. The whole area was just so relaxed, so perfect.

"Are you hungry?" She looked up at Danny and nodded.

"Yeah, what do you have up mind?"

"Cafe for cake and coffee and then we can eat it by the river?" She smiled and nodded happily.

"Yes please. You're paying." She winked making him roll his eyes and laugh.

Whilst sat by the river they were able to have a proper chat to each other. It had been so long since they had been able to sit, chat and laugh with each other. Since the kids they hadn't really had the chance. They loved them more than anything, of course they did, but it was so nice to have no interruptions like old times. Just the two of them and each other's company, no distraction. Clara laid back on the grass and smiled at Danny who was looking at her intently.

"This is so nice... It's been so long since we've done this." He nodded and laid next to her.

"Life kinda got in the way didn't it." She smiled.

"I wouldn't change it for the world though."

"Nor me." They laid in silence for a second, smiling at the thought of the kids.

"I suppose I should say thank you really." Danny looked round at her.

"What for?"

"For giving me this life. For being there for me through everything. For giving us the most amazing children. I couldn't be happier right now. Things have been so difficult at so many different points recently. Sometimes I've wondered if we could ever be happy again but things always seem to slot into place. Laying here now it feels like everything is on the up. We're happy, the kids are happy, life in general is happy. And I don't want that to ever change. So thank you for that Danny." He smiled and rolled over. He kissed her deeply.

"Thank you for the very same. I love you." She smiled and kissed him again.

They laid there for another half an hour and then Danny sighed and sat up.

"I suppose we should head back then." She nodded and kissed his hand.

"Get back to the little monsters." They both smiled and began to walk back again. When they got to the kids club they were greeted with the girls running towards them. They were both holding the paintings they had done and grinning widely.

"Have you had fun!?" They both nodded.

"Yeah! Look! I painted us by the big castle!" Clara smiled and kissed Lily's cheek.

"That's amazing! We can put it on our wall at home if you like?" She nodded and leaned into Clara. Danny thanked the people and took Noah from one of the women. He walked over and smiled.

They then went back to the room.

"Right you two monkeys! Can you be good girls and start packing your clothes up?" They nodded and went into their room. Danny sat on the bed and looked at the cases in front of him.

"I don't want to go home." Clara smiled.

"Me neither. Time has gone so fast." He nodded but before he could speak again Clara's phone began to ring. "It's dad." She said to him as she picked it up. He smiled at her as she walked out by the pool to speak to him. "Hi dad! All okay?" She said happily. It stayed quiet on the end of the phone. "Dad?" There was then a sigh.

"Yep hi." She frowned at the sound of his voice. He sounded sad, really sad.

"What's wrong?" He sighed. "Dad?"

"Are you alone right now? The kids shouldn't hear this." She frowned again.

"Yes, why?" There was another pause.

"Clara... I've got some bad news."

"What is it? What's happened dad?"

"It's your gran... She collapsed yesterday and was rushed to hospital." Clara stood up with a start.

"What!? What happened? Is she okay!?" Dave sighed again.

"I wouldn't say okay... But she's stable." Clara took a deep breath.

"Okay, well that's good right... She's stable, that's good?" She heard Dave hesitate on the other end of the phone.

"Clara no... That's not all. It's not good news. She's, she's got cancer..." Clara's mouth widened and tears filled her eyes. She sat down in shock.

"What? No, no she can't have."

"I'm sorry. We found out today." She felt the warm tears falling down her cheeks. Her whole body felt numb.

"How's she holding up?" That was the only thing she could think to say.

"Not too well... What with your mum and all." Clara nodded, not wanting him to finish the sentence.

"Should I come home now? What should I do? I need to be there!"

"No, you come home tomorrow anyway. It's fine. As long as all of you are okay."

"Yeah they're all good..." Dave sighed again.

"Sorry to ruin things. I just needed to tell you." She nodded.

"Don't worry. I'll be there soon. Send gran my love. Stay safe..." He agreed and hung up. She sat there, stunned. She didn't know how to feel. Why was this happening?

A while later she walked back inside in a complete daze. She sat down on her bed and stared at the wall in front of her, tears still falling down her cheeks. Danny poked his head through from the girls room but then stepped inside when he noticed the tears.

"Stay there for a second girls yes?" They nodded. He walked in and sat next to Clara quickly. "What's wrong!? What's happened?!" Clara blinked a little and looked at him, still in disbelief. "Clara?" She took a deep breath.

"It's gran... She's got cancer." Danny looked at her with surprise. He didn't know what to say. Instead, he let her lay into him and sob. He held her tightly and kissed her head. Neither of them could believe how quickly their world could come tumbling down again. Everything seemed so perfect and now...

**Sorry for the ending... Sorry, sorry, sorry. Okay bye...**


	47. Chapter 47- Unhappiness

**Here's your next chapter! Warning, expect tears...**

Unhappiness

Clara got up the next morning without saying a word. Everyone has clearly noticed her change in mood but Danny tried to keep the girls busy to avoid any questions. They just needed to pack up and get home without too much extra stress. Once Danny had got Noah up and ready he walked over to Clara who was stood on the balcony watching the sunrise. She jumped a little when she noticed him beside her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She shook her head.

"No, it's fine." She turned back again. Danny sighed.

"How are you holding up?" She shook her head.

"I don't want to talk about it now, I'll only start crying again if we do and I don't want to be upset in front of the girls. Especially as were travelling home." Danny nodded and pulled her into a hug. He kissed her head.

"Not long and we'll be back. Then we can sort things out yeah?" She nodded at him and then walked back inside.

They got everything packed and then headed to the airport without any problems. Ellie could sense something had happened so was very quiet. It made her anxious when people were upset. She knew something was bothering Clara. After checking in and preparing to get on the plane they sat and waited in the terminal.

"Fancy coming to get some food kids? I'll treat you to McDonald's breakfast because you've been super good today." Lily smiled and jumped up to grab his hand. Ellie soon did the same but very hesitantly. Danny discretely asked Clara if she wanted anything but she shook her head. Food was the last thing on her mind right now.

"I'll go and get some fresh air." She pointed for the door. "Here I'll take grumpy pants." She indicated to Noah who had been grizzly all morning. Danny nodded and kissed her head.

"Okay, won't be long." They gave each other reassuring smiles as they walked off in different directions.

As they walked Ellie held Danny's hand more tightly than usual and refused to say a word the whole time. Danny knew what was wrong but he didn't want to bring it up now really. Questions could be asked at home but here was not really the time or place. So he let her continue in the same way.

Clara stood outside and took a deep breath. Everything felt weird. Like a strange sense of déjà vu. Since hearing of her gran memories of her mum came flooding back. Memories that she had buried over time to keep her sane. She couldn't help but feel empty again. She couldn't lose her gran. Not yet. She had already lost her mum, she couldn't face losing her gran too. It was too soon.

She went back inside soon and sat back down. Danny and the girls appeared again too. They all sat down and listened out for the call for their flight. It felt like ages waiting. Clara just wanted to get home. She hated not being there to help her dad through things. Her gran needed her too. After another 20 minutes or so they looked up at the board as an announcement took place. Danny sighed as he heard it. An hours delay. Clara sighed and put her head in her hands. She rested her elbow on her knees and took a deep breath. She felt so frustrated and emotional. It was such a horrible feeling. Danny moved to her side and crouched down on the floor.

"Come on, let's go back outside." He said, knowing that there was going to be some sort of breakdown soon. Whether it was from Clara or Ellie only time could tell. Clara wiped her tears and walked quickly towards the door. Danny told the girls to follow her as he picked up Noah and their things. Danny went through the door to see Clara resting on one of the barriers and Ellie crying silently by the wall. He sighed. "Come here Ellie." She did so and then hugged into him. "What's wrong honey?" She began to struggle to breath a little as she panicked.

"The plane has gone wrong and mummy is sad." He nodded and kissed her head.

"It's okay, it's okay. The plane is fine, the people just need a little longer to get it ready. We can get on it soon. And mummy is a bit upset but it's nothing to worry about. We're all here together. Breathe honey. You're alright." She shook her head and begun to sob.

"But she's crying daddy." It was then that Clara snapped out of her daydream and knelt down next to her. That sound, the sound of Ellie sobbing desperately, made Clara shudder. She hated it. She couldn't bare seeing her little girl so upset.

"Calm down sweetheart. It's okay." Clara pulled her into a hug and kissed her head.

"But what's wrong mummy?" Clara shook her head.

"I'm fine, nothing is wrong." Ellie looked at Clara's tear stained cheeks.

"Then why are you crying? What's happened? I don't like seeing you cry." Clara looked at Danny and shook her head, more tears falling now.

"I can't say it... I can't." He stroked her arm and nodded. He got Ellie's attention and spoke to her softly, avoiding Lily being able to hear.

"Great grandma has been taken into hospital sweetie. She's really not well. So mummy is very upset about it. Grandad called her and told her last night. So we want to get home quickly so that we can sort things out." She nodded.

"Is great grandma going to be okay?" Danny didn't know how to respond. Clara sighed and wiped her eyes.

"I don't know sweetie, but we can hope that she will be." Ellie nodded and took a deep breath.

"Okay. Please don't be too sad mummy, I think she will be fine. She knows that we all love her lots and lots. That always helps people get better." Clara smiled sadly and hugged her tightly.

"My big brave girl. I love you." Ellie smiled and immediately relaxed in Clara's arms. Danny watched on quietly, looking over to Lily every so often. Clara then stood up and sighed. Ellie walked over to Lily and smiled at her. They got back to chatting to each other almost instantly. Danny kissed Clara's head and rubbed her arm.

"You're doing so so well." She smiled at him and hugged him close.

"Let's go back inside. I'm going to pop to the toilet to sort myself out. I look like such a mess." Danny laughed a little.

"Okay."

Soon enough their flight was called and they were well on their way home. Ellie and Lily both fell asleep with their heads on Clara's lap as soon as they took off. Clara was asleep herself before long. Danny watched them peacefully. It had been such a good holiday, albeit an awful ending, but they had all had such a great time. So many good memories had been made.

They landed and drove home with no problems. Everyone was a little quiet but there had been no more tears. All three kids slept the whole way back and Clara wasn't far off. Danny let her sleep. She never slept in the day unless she really needed it so he knew it was for the best. As soon as they got in the door and settled the kids Clara rung her dad.

"Hi Clara."

"Is everything okay?" He sighed.

"Um, well nothing has changed since yesterday really." Clara nodded, knowing that that was the best news that she could expect really. "How about you? All home and safe?"

"Yeah, the kids are tired but happy. The flight was smooth so all is good." She put the phone on speaker as she saw Danny come in.

"Good, I'm glad."

"Where are you now?"

"At the hospital. We had an appointment earlier about it all." Clara heart rate jumped.

"And? What did they say?" Dave hesitated and sighed.

"I think it would be better if you were with us in person for that... I just think that gran would like to tell you herself." Clara took a deep breath. If that wasn't a sign of bad news then what was?

"Okay, I'll come now." Dave stopped her.

"No, Clara I know you too well. Now with all that's going on its likely that you've not eaten yet today. Stay at home for a while. Relax, eat and then come." She shook her head and went to protest.

"No I'm fine, I need to be there." Danny shook his head and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Clara your dad is right. The last thing we need is you fainting or something as well. I'll run to the shop, pick you up something and then you can have a sit down." She shook her head so he put a hand on her cheek to stop her from looking away from him. "Clara, please."

"Listen to Danny Clara. You're not missing anything here." She sighed and gave in.

"Okay. I'll see you later dad." She hung up and Danny kissed her head.

"I won't be long." She smiled and nodded.

When she got to the hospital she was greeted by her dad at the reception. He pulled her into a hug to which she returned.

"It's good to see you." She smiled.

"You too." They started to walk to the ward.

"How was the holiday?" Clara couldn't help but smile a little as she thought of the kids.

"It was great. Really really good. The girls loved it." Dave smiled.

"Sorry about the ending though." She sighed and looked to the floor.

"Dad, don't-" He shook his head.

"No I mean it. I know I needed to tell you but you'd had such a good time. I feel bad for ruining that for you."

"You didn't ruin the holiday. And you did right to tell me. You know that. Either way, you still would have needed to tell me at some point. Being away didn't make it any easier to hear." He nodded a little.

"Okay." He still clearly felt guilty but there was no point saying it again. Clara was right really, he just struggled to believe it. Dave opened the door to the ward and let Clara inside. Gran was reading the paper when they walked in. As soon as she noticed them she put it down and removed her glasses.

"Clara! It's lovely to see you!" Clara smiled a little and walked over to her side. She didn't lean into hug her immediately as she usually did. Something stopped her. She could feel her heart racing in her chest and her breathing became shaky. She hated what that awful illness had done. She hated it.

"What's wrong love?" Clara sighed and attempted to stop the tears that were pooling in her eyes.

"How are you so calm about this?" She asked with slight anger.

"What do you mean?"

"The cancer. How can you be okay? Why are you so calm?" She started to cry, as though seeing her gran had made everything hit her again. Gran sighed.

"Come here love." She opened her arms and let Clara cry into her. Dave sat down on the other side of the bed. She gave Dave a look to which he nodded.

"Clara there's something that I, well we, need to tell you. Best get it out of the way." Gran cut him off and shook her head.

"Clara look at me." She did so slowly. "The cancer... My cancer, there's nothing they can do. It's terminal." Clara shook her head and walked back slowly.

"No. No it can't be. No." Dave stood up to move towards her.

"Clara, it's okay." She shook her head.

"No it's not! It's not okay! I'm going to lose another person that I love! I can't do it!" She stopped walking backwards and ran. She ran out of the door and then into the carpark of the hospital. It was then that her legs gave way and she fell to the floor. She sat and cried. She didn't know what was happening to her. It was like things had been going so well and now her whole world had fallen apart. Like the pain she felt from losing her mum had all come flooding back but with more intensity. She couldn't help but sob.

Dave ran out and looked for her quickly. When he saw her he sat by her side and held her close. He kissed her head and sighed.

"Why is this happening dad? I don't want it to happen. I can't lose her." Dave said nothing but just continued to hold her. He let her settle a bit and then took his phone out of his pocket. "What are you doing?"

"I'm calling Danny. Don't argue. You need him here." She looked away. "Danny?"

"Yeah?"

"How fast can you get here?" He stumbled over his words.

"Quickly... Why?" Then he heard Clara's sobs in the background. "I'm on my way."

He arrived soon after and had to backtrack from running into the doors when he saw Clara curled up on the grass with Dave helplessly next to her.

"Clara?!" She looked at him. The pain in her eyes said a thousand words. He ran to her side and held her to his chest. He then looked to Dave for answers.

Dave went back inside leaving Clara and Danny alone for a few minutes. He helped her up and sat her down on the nearest bench.

"I don't know what happened in there... I'm sorry." He shook his head. "Its all such a mess." He pulled her into a hug and kissed her head.

"Don't apologise. It's a lot to take in." She sighed and leant forward a bit.

"I just can't help thinking about mum... All of the grief and pain I felt. All of the darkness and sadness. It's going to come back and I don't think I can bare that." He shook his head.

"It will be different this time though. You have me and the kids. You have more support. I'm not going to let you fall back down to anywhere you don't want to go again, I'm going to make sure this is okay." She smiled a little and kissed his cheek. It was at moments like that when she realised how lucky she was to have Danny.

They sat there for a few more minutes but soon Clara looked up suddenly.

"Where are the kids!?" Danny put his hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"They're with the next door neighbour, it's all in hand. They're fine."

"Even Ellie?" Danny sighed.

"She's doing okay, I left her nearly asleep in front of a movie so I don't think she will stir too much." Clara nodded. "But now I think you should go back inside. Speak to your dad and your gran. Sort things out." She hesitated. "It's okay to be scared, that's normal."

"Will you come with me?" He smiled and nodded.

"Of course I will, if that's what you want." She nodded back and let him kiss her head. "Let's go." They walked in, hand in hand.

Gran looked up suddenly when she saw Clara enter with Danny by her side.

"Oh Clara. Please, come here to me." She did so and sat on the side of the bed. "I know it sounds bad..." Clara interrupted as she looked down at their hands.

"It is bad gran, it is!" She shook her head.

"Okay, yes, I have terminal cancer. And I'm going to die." Clara looked up with a start.

"Gran!"

"What? That's what you're all thinking... But you need to face up to it like I have. Just because it's terminal it doesn't mean that I'm going anywhere soon. I could have months, years even. Don't write me off just yet. It's like with your mum. We made sure that she had the best end to her life possible, we all did. Everyone dies some day. But it doesn't have to be a sad thing. It's all about perspective. The way I see it, I'm nearing the end of my life but that's okay because I've lived a long and full one. One that I've loved and cherished. I travelled. I fell in love. I had a child, a grandchild and now I've got three great grandchildren. That's not a sad thing. That's a great thing. So I'm determined to make this time, however long it may be, the best. The happiest for us all. So no more tears. I don't want tears. I want more smiles to add to my memories." Clara sighed and smiled gently. She wiped her eyes and looked at her gran guiltily.

"Sorry, I just couldn't take it all in, I-" Gran stopped her.

"That's okay love, that's okay. I know it's a shock. It has been for all of us. But I'm still here and I don't plan on leaving you. Don't you worry about that yet." Clara nodded and hugged her gran tightly. "Now, I have a meeting with the doctors later and they'll tell me when I can go home. I think it will be soon, so I can come round for a cup of tea to see those beautiful grandchildren of mine and some holiday pictures." Clara smiled and kissed her cheek. How she always stayed so positive Clara had no idea but it was definitely admirable.

Danny and Clara headed home to free the neighbour of the kids not long after. Clara said nothing as they got into the car, nor for most of the journey back. Danny didn't question it. She would speak to him when she was ready, he knew that. As soon as they got to the door it opened and Ellie jumped into Clara's arms. She wasn't crying but the tear stains on her cheeks were solid evidence that she had been recently. Clara sighed and walked inside. Danny headed straight into the living room where the Jane was sat with Noah in her arms and Lily asleep with her head on her knee. Danny smiled a little.

"I am so sorry we were so long. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. Thank you." Jane smiled and shook her head.

"No no, it's fine. Just as long as everything is okay with you two?" Danny hesitated.

"Yeah, it's a little messy but could be worse. So we're okay." She smiled again.

"Is Ellie okay? I'm sorry, I tried to calm her down but she just wanted you back." Danny nodded.

"She's very anxious but she'll be alright, thank you. I'll let you know how she is." Danny lifted Lily up gently and laid her on the other side of the sofa to continue sleeping. Jane stood up so that she could pass Noah back. Miraculously he didn't stir either. Clara walked in and sat down with Ellie on her lap. She hugged into her mum as tightly as possible. So tightly that Clara could feel her heart speeding inside her chest. She was panicking, a lot. She said her thank you's again and Danny led Jane out. They both then turned her attention to Ellie.

"Ellie honey? Can you speak to me?" She sat there, almost stunned with panic.

"What's happened?! Where did you go?!" Clara kissed her head and rubbed her back to calm her.

"Mummy will explain that to you a bit more later. It's all okay. We're back now and everyone is fine." Danny crouched down next to them and put a hand on Ellie's knee.

"I woke up and you were gone. Jane was there and she was nice to me but I wanted you." Danny and Clara nodded.

"That's alright, we know. Sorry we had to go but we're back now." She nodded but didn't seem to calm down. Danny stepped in to help her.

"Breathe for me Ellie. Remember what you have to do?" She nodded. "Hands on your head, look at daddy and breathe. In and out." She did so and soon relaxed. "Good girl. Well done." She flopped her head back onto Clara's shoulder. The exhaustion had hit her now. The panic attacks really took it out of her.

"Good girl, come and lay down next to Lily?" She nodded and let Danny carry her over. Before long she was asleep again next to her sister. Noah began to cry so Clara picked him up and walked into the kitchen so not to disturb the girls. Danny followed her out.

She rocked him gently side to side and then grabbed a bottle to make up his milk with her other hand. Danny stepped in and shook his head.

"I'll do it." She smiled appreciatively. He handed it to her once he had made it. She sat down and sighed. "What's going on in that head of yours?" She smiled a little at him.

"I honestly don't know. I want to be positive for gran, I really do. But part of me can't. I am going to lose her at some point and I need to face that but I also know that I need to stop thinking about it and focus on now." He nodded.

"It's hard. But it may get a little easier now that the shock of it is over. It's never going to be easy to know that you're going to lose her, obviously, but it may be alright to think about how she wants to spend her time now." Clara held her hand out for him to take.

"I hope so. How am I going to tell the girls? They love her to bits." He sighed, knowing there was no easy way to do it.

"Well to start with, you won't need to tell them at all. We will tell them, we both will, together. It's not going to be nice but they're strong. They know they can talk to us if they need to, it will be alright." He smiled and kissed her head. They then looked down at Noah who had fallen asleep in her arms. Just as Clara began to speak again they heard Ellie shout from the other room.

"Mummy! Daddy!" Both of them jumped up and ran to see what had happened. Ellie was sat up and was looking around with confusion.

"Ellie? What's wrong honey?" Danny ran to her side.

"I thought you had gone again... But you haven't." She wrapped her arms around him tightly and buried her head in his shoulder. Danny sighed and looked at Clara. Something told them the next few weeks were going to be tricky.

"Mummy and daddy are here and we're not going anywhere, okay?" She nodded and wiped her eyes.

"Do you promise?" Danny smiled and held her hand to kiss it gently.

"Yes, from the bottom of my heart." She then looked to Clara.

"You too mummy?" Clara crouched down beside them.

"Yes sweetie. We're not leaving you." She now smiled and looked at Noah.

"Can I hold Noah?" Clara smiled and nodded.

"Make sure you don't wake him up though!" She passed him over gently. It was whilst she was distracted with Noah that she began to talk a little.

"Where did you go today then?" Clara sighed and took Danny's hand. Now was the right time to tell her, they needed to.

"We went to the hospital honey. To see great grandma." Ellie looked up innocently.

"Why?"

"Do you remember earlier, at the airport, I told you that great grandma is poorly?" She nodded. "Well we went to see if she was okay."

"Is she okay?" Clara looked down a little.

"She is at the moment yes... But she might not be for much longer. We don't know how much longer." Ellie frowned, clearly not following.

"What do you mean?" Clara looked to Danny and sighed. He took over.

"Great grandma, she's not going to get better again sweetie. She's very poorly so the doctors couldn't help her. What mummy means is that we don't know when she is going to be ill again. So we need to be very nice to her and make every time we see her happy. You can show her the holiday pictures when she comes round soon, yeah?" Ellie nodded slowly. "She loves you very much and she knows that you love her too. She can't wait to see you. So you need to be a good girl and do what you always do, make her laugh." She nodded again.

"I can do that." She smiled. "Is that why you were upset mummy?" Clara nodded.

"It made mummy sad because I don't like seeing great grandma poorly. But it's okay, because we're going to make everything happy and smiley now aren't we?" Ellie nodded and kissed Noah on the head. Clara watched Lily wake up slowly and look over to Ellie and Noah with a smile on her face. They sat, the three of them, looking so peaceful. Nothing made Clara happier than to see that, despite the sadness she felt numb her body. Watching them seemed to restore some feeling.

**That was sadder than expected... Sorry, okay bye :) x**


	48. Chapter 48- A Beginning and an End

**Hiiii, so this chapter has jumped ahead a little, around three years-ish. Enjoyyyy x**

**Ps sorry it's been super long since I last uploaded! I've been busy and had a huge lack of ideas so oops. This chapter is also super long. Andddd you'll hate me for it...**

A beginning and an end

"Ellie! Ellie!" Clara called up the stairs. "Can you hurry up? We can't be late for the first day!" Danny ran past trying to get his stuff together as well as stopping Noah from wrestling Lily in the living room. Ellie appeared at the top of the stairs in her new uniform. Clara smiled at the sight, she looked so sweet. However, as she looked at Ellie's facial expression her mood changed a little. She sighed and watched her sit down on the top step sadly. Starting secondary school was hard for anyone let alone Ellie who worried about everything possible. "Come here." She pulled Ellie into a hug after sitting down next to her. "You know it will all be fine right?" She nodded weakly. "You'll get to the gates and see all of your friends. You can all have a laugh at your uniform!" She laughed a little at that whilst tugging at the collar of her shirt. "Then you'll go to assembly and meet your form tutor. And before you know it, you'll be all settled in like you have been there all your life." She looked up at her mum, tears glazing her deep brown eyes.

"But what if it all goes wrong mum?" Clara smiled sadly at her.

"It won't go wrong honey! And do you know why?" She shook her head. "Because you're amazing and brave and absolutely capable of beating this. I'm so proud of you, so so proud. You've come so far. I know you can do this too. Just be you and enjoy it." Ellie now smiled up at her. "That's it, that's what we want to see." She hugged her close and kissed her head.

"I love you mum." Clara smiled.

"I love you too sweetie. Remember you can come and see me or your dad in the day if you like. Maths ten or English two. You'll find us." She nodded and stood up to go down the stairs. Clara gave Danny a reassuring smile as she walked past. He smiled back and picked up Noah.

"Right you, stop wrestling your sister, let's go and find your shoes." He giggled.

They managed to get everyone in the car eventually, after a bit of persuasion by being bought sweets later if they were good. They headed off to Dave's house to drop Noah off. He almost jumped out of the car when they arrived. He loved being with his grandad. It settled Clara to know that he was happy there, it made her feel slightly less guilty for leaving him all day.

"Give mummy a kiss?" He ran to her and did so before hugging her.

"You're the best mummy ever mummy!" She grinned. Danny had taught him to say that when he wanted something, men eh.

"Thank you sweetie. But that's not going to get you anymore sweets later." He giggled and ran to Dave. Clara stood back up and walked over to her dad.

"Morning. All okay?" She nodded.

"Yeah, just about."

"How's Ellie?" Clara sighed.

"We had a bit of a wobble this morning but I think we sorted it. I think she'll be fine when she gets there." He nodded.

"She will be, she'll be amazing." He walked over to the car window and mouthed good luck to her. She smiled and said thank you. Clara hugged him and then went to get back in the car. "Thanks dad, we'll see you later." He nodded and smiled as he waved them off.

Lily settled easily as always at school, ran off without a hesitation. Soon enough, they arrived at Coal Hill. Ellie took a deep breath.

"Ready?" She nodded hesitantly. "Do you want us to drop you here or do you want to come in with us away from the crowds?" She thought for a second. "It's your choice honey. Whatever feels best for you." She nodded.

"Can I come with you please?" They nodded and Danny drove round to the staff carpark. They got out and Ellie grabbed Clara's hand. Clara could feel it shaking in her grasp.

"Let's get inside." As they walked in they were greeted by many teachers welcoming them back after summer. Eventually they arrived in Clara's classroom. Ellie looked around quietly.

"Alright?" She nodded slowly at her dad. He sighed and crouched down a little to speak to her at eye level. "You're going to be amazing today. You'll make so many friends, learn so much and then you can tell us all about it later! And like mummy said, you can come and see us at anytime at all." She nodded.

"It looks a bit scary." She said quietly.

"I know, it's a lot bigger than primary school! But that's okay, because once you know your way around it's easy. Don't worry about how big it looks, think of it as an adventure." She nodded again.

"What if I panic and I don't know what to do?" Danny smiled.

"All of the teachers know so you can ask to go outside the classroom. You can talk to your friends, they know how to help you don't they. And remember the breathing you and I do, yeah?" She smiled a little. "You can do this El, I believe in you." She hugged him and then Clara.

"I'm going to go and find my friends now." Clara smiled.

"Of course, off you go. I love you." Ellie smiled and headed out of the room. Tears welled in Clara's eyes a little. Danny smiled and pulled her into a hug. "My little girl is all grown up Danny." He kissed her head.

"She is indeed. Where did the years go eh?" She smiled up at him. They pulled apart slightly allowing Clara to look quickly at the time. Danny did so too.

"I guess we should get to work." He sighed.

"Unfortunately yes, the rowdy year 8s are calling me." She laughed and kissed him quickly.

"I'll see you at break?" He smiled.

"Try and stop me."

The morning passed reasonably quickly, much to Clara's surprise. In her experience first days always dragged due to the stress and tiredness but this one had been an exception. When lunch time arrived Clara dismissed her year 12s and then grabbed her phone from her desk. Her heart rate sped up a little when she saw three missed calls from her dad. She dialled his number as fast as possible and nervously waited to hear his voice.

"Hi Clara, sorry to ring you at work. I figured you'd be teaching but I tried anyway." She smiled.

"That's alright, what's wrong?" She could hear Noah crying a little in the background which sent her nerves through the roof.

"It's not too serious, don't worry. Noah was playing earlier and he tripped and cut his lip. We went to A&amp;E to patch it up but they said that its fine. He's settling a little more now, I've given him ice cream to help the pain a little." She sighed.

"Bless him. Are you sure he's okay!?"

"Yes, he's okay, I promise. I just wanted to let you know so it isn't a shock later."

"It's lunch now, I can pop home and see him." Dave shook his head on the other end of the phone.

"No need, Clara stay there. Don't stress about it too much, stay calm and focus on Ellie. Just in case she needs any help. I've got it covered here." She took a deep breath.

"Okay... I just feel bad. He's hurt and I'm not there." Dave laughed a little.

"He's at home watching Ice Road Truckers whilst eating as much ice cream as he can with his grandad who's not intending to stop him any time soon. I think he's okay. He's happy enough." She couldn't help but laugh a little as she imagined them sat together on the sofa.

"Okay, well tell him I love him. I'll see you later."

"Will do, have a nice afternoon." Dave said and then he hung up. She put her phone down and took a deep breath. She rested her head in her hands and massaged her temples slowly. As she did she heard her classroom door slam shut. Ellie stood with her back against it breathing heavily. Clara jumped up and ran to her side immediately.

"Ellie!?" She got no response apart from being stared at by fear-filled eyes. "Ellie what's happened? Talk to me?" She shook her head and continued to panic. "Okay, breathe. Ellie try to breathe. Just like daddy showed you. Come on honey." She backed into the corner of the room and slid down the wall until she was sat down. Clara knelt beside her and stroked her arm. "That's it, good girl. Breathe." She did so slowly.

"Sorry mummy." Clara laughed a little.

"What have you got to be sorry for!?" She shook her head.

"Mummy I can't breathe." Normally the panic attacks she had calmed down as soon as she was with either her or Danny but today it wasn't getting any better. Clara knew she was out of her depth, only Danny could calm this one.

"Stay here and keep breathing. I'll be 30 seconds, I'm going to run and get daddy." She nodded, tears now rolling down her cheeks. Clara stood up and sprinted down the corridors to Danny's class, ignoring all of the odd looks she was getting from students and teachers alike. She burst into Danny's class. He stood up in alarm, sensing something was wrong. "It's Ellie." He nodded and ran back to Clara's room behind her. He crouched by Ellie's side and looked her in the eyes.

"Alright sweetie. You're okay, I promise. Arms up on your head, and breathe in and out. Yeah? In and out." She did and, after twenty minutes or so, she calmed down a little. Danny rubbed her arm supportively. "That's it. Good girl." She looked up at them both, clearly very shaken up.

"I didn't mean to. I don't want to worry you. It's just all so big and scary." Clara found it hard to hold back her tears as her little girl sat on the floor, terrified.

"Ellie you don't need to think about me and daddy being worried! That doesn't matter at all. What matters is you being okay. What happened?" She wiped her eyes and took the tissue Danny had handed to her.

"I was going to get my lunch and everyone pushed and shoved. I didn't like all of the people. It scared me. I saw your classroom so I ran." Clara nodded, not really surprised at what had brought the panic on. She never liked crowds.

"Okay honey, okay. Do you feel okay now?" She nodded a little and wiped her eyes.

"Yeah, but why were you upset?" Clara frowned.

"What do you mean? When?"

"When I ran in, you looked sad whilst you were sat at your desk. You'd just got off of the phone." Clara sighed at her level of observance. Danny then looked at her and waited for a response.

"It was just grandad calling, don't worry about that." Ellie frowned.

"But why would that make you sad?" Clara went to speak but Danny interrupted.

"What happened? Clara?" She turned to face him and sighed. This not the time nor the place to add to their stress.

"Noah was running around earlier and he tripped and fell, he cut his lip open." Danny's eyes widened just like hers had when she was on the phone. "He's fine! He's okay, don't worry. He's cuddled up on the sofa with dad eating a tub of ice cream. I offered to go home and see him but dad said that it wasn't worth it." Danny now nodded. Clara looked to Ellie again. "Noah is fine, everyone is okay. You've done so well today." She smiled and moved to stand up. "What do you want to do now honey?" She sighed.

"I'm quite hungry... But I don't want to go back in the queue it's too busy and-" Danny stopped her.

"You don't need to. I'll go and get us all some lunch and then bring it back here. You can stay in here with us all lunch if you want to." She smiled and nodded. "Good girl, stay here with mum. I'll be back in a bit." He smiled at them both and then left quickly. Ellie walked over to Clara and huddled close into her. Clara kissed her head and sighed.

The end of the day arrived and Ellie came to meet them both in Clara's room.

"Alright honey?" She nodded wearily.

"Yeah." Clara knew that meant that she wasn't really okay but now was not the time to push it any further. They needed to get home in one piece first. Once Danny was sorted they drove to get Lily from school and then to get Noah from Dave's. Lily was full of stories of her day as usual. Yet Ellie was the opposite. She stared out of the window, unresponsive. Clara knew she wasn't going to want to get out of the car so got out to grab Noah quickly instead of stopping. He ran into her arms as soon as Dave had opened the door. She hugged him close and then pulled away a little to inspect his lip.

"Aww, my poor baby." She kissed his head and hugged him again.

"Grandad gave me ice cream mummy!" Clara laughed.

"I know he did! Did you have a nice day? Bar the cut lip." She asked Noah but directed the question to her dad. Noah nodded and stayed in her arms. Dave smiled.

"That was a set back but he seems to be okay now. We had a nice day in the end." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"Good, and thank you for today."

"No problem. Not coming in? Is Ellie not bursting at the seams with stories of her new school?!" Dave said happily but Clara shook her head. She moved a little away from the car so that she was sure Ellie couldn't hear.

"Things didn't go exactly to plan. She had a huge panic attack and found the day a lot harder this she expected I think. She's not really in high spirits." Dave nodded understandingly.

"Bless her, well tell her that I'll see her soon, and Lily too." Clara nodded.

"Will do, thank you. See you tomorrow."

They got home and Ellie went straight to her room. Neither Clara or Danny stopped her. She needed space to get her head around the day. It hadn't quite sunk in yet. Clara let Noah go and watch tv with Lily and then collapsed at the kitchen table. Danny sat on the chair next to her and sighed.

"She will be alright you know." Clara looked up.

"How did you know that was what I was worrying about?" He smiled.

"I always know." She took his hand and sighed. He lifted it them up and kissed hers gently. "Today was bound to be a struggle, we knew that. But we've got through it. Maybe not as smoothly as we wanted to but we still did it. She's a brave girl and she'll speak to us when she's ready." Clara nodded.

"I guess. I just wish I could take her pain away. She should be happy but there's so much stopping her from being. I feel like I should be able to do something about it." Danny went to speak again but Ellie walked in and sat opposite them. She reached for Clara's hand which she then took.

"I am happy mum. There are things that I would change about how I feel but I'm not unhappy. You can't take away how I feel, I know that. For a while I wished you could... But today was a set back that I expected. I wanted it to go better than it did but I had a good day other than lunchtime. So I've decided. I'm not going to be sad about it because there's no point. I was upset on the way home but then I thought about the nice things that I did today and it kinda went away. Please don't be sad or feel bad about it. Either of you. You both did everything you possibly could today and I'm forever grateful for that." Clara wiped her eyes and stood up. She walked round to Ellie and hugged her tightly.

"My brave girl. I love you. So so much." Ellie smiled. Danny watched them with admiration. Ellie was such a courageous person. She never ceased to make him proud. Clara pulled away and smiled.

"Am I allowed to watch tv with Lily and Noah?" Clara laughed a little and nodded.

"Yes, of course you can." Ellie hugged Clara once more and then headed into the other room. Danny smiled at Clara.

"See, she's so brave. Just like her mum." He leant over and kissed her softly.

Later on in the evening everyone had settled down a little. Things seemed calmer. Clara begun to get dinner ready when she saw her dads number pop up on her phone. She answered it quickly.

"Hi dad." There was a pause.

"Clara." She frowned.

"Is everything okay? Have we left something at yours again?" She laughed a little.

"No, you've got everything... Clara it's your gran." Now she stopped what she was doing, slightly regretting her choice of humour.

"What's happened?" Her dad sighed.

"She's been rushed into hospital again. She collapsed. But it's not looking good." Clara's heart sank. "I feel so bad. We told her not to stay at her house on her own. She's just not well enough." She shook her head.

"This isn't your fault dad. Where are you now?"

"At home. I'm about to go to the hospital, I just got the call." She nodded.

"I'm coming to get you."

"I'll come to-" She shook her head again.

"No arguments." She hung up and grabbed her coat. Danny walked through and frowned.

"What's going on? What did your dad say?" She looked at him with sad eyes. He suddenly knew what she was going to say.

"I've got to go to the hospital. Do you mind doing dinner? Tell the kids not to worry. I'm sorry." He shook his head.

"Don't worry, I've got things here. Stay safe, keep me updated." He kissed her on the cheek and handed her the car keys.

"I love you." He smiled.

"I love you too." She ran out of the door.

She picked up her dad and they drove to the hospital. When they arrived they both ran inside.

"Mrs Oswald? She's just been brought in?" The nurse nodded.

"Ward 10." They thanked her and followed the signs to get to the room. Clara hesitated before walking in. The sense of deja vu was killing her. She didn't want things to be like this. It was so unfair.

"Let's do this together, yeah?" Dave said. She nodded and let him open the door. It was an awful sight when they finally saw her. Her frail body was connected to a mass of wires and machines. A cut on her head from where she had fallen had been patched up but some blood still stained her pale skin. Clara sighed and picked up her grans hand gently.

"Still had time to do your hair and makeup eh gran?" She said tearily after noticing the familiar scent of hairspray and the glisten of powder on her skin.

"Of course she did, nothing will ever stop her from looking her best. Sunday best is everyday. Always has been." Clara smiled sadly at her dad as they reminisced. She laid there silently, she looked almost peaceful.

After a while a doctor entered the room quietly. Dave stood up and walked over towards him. Clara soon followed and wiped her eyes to stop the tears.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Richards. I'm not disturbing anything am I? I can come back at any time." Dave shook his head.

"No, of course not." He nodded and continued to speak.

"Are you relatives of Grace Oswald?" He nodded.

"Yes, I'm Dave, her son-in-law and this is Clara, her granddaughter." The Doctor nodded.

"Would you like to come next door for a few minutes." They nodded back and followed him out of the room.

They sat down in a bare looking room. It made Clara uncomfortable. Everything was too formal. The doctor took a seat and placed his clipboard down.

"I'm afraid that I can't give you any good news today... We've done a brain scan to see if there was any damage from the fall and, as far as we can tell, it hasn't directly worsened her condition. But it has obviously taken its toll on her. She is very, very weak and the fall has made her fragility even worse. The cancer has spread too. Around her chest and further towards her heart. I'm afraid there's nothing we can do. It's just a matter of time now..." Clara shook her head in disbelief.

"There must be something you can do?! Please! I'm begging you. I can't lose her! Not yet!" Dave placed a hand on her arm. Clara shrugged it away.

"I'm sorry, there's nothing more to be done." Tears fell down her cheeks. She stood up and stormed out of the room. Dave went to follow her but the doctor stopped him. "I'd recommend you stay here this morning. There is a high chance that tomorrow will be too late." He nodded and, too, walked out of the door. Before following Clara he stood outside of the room and looked through the window at Grace. He took a deep breath and wiped his eyes. He couldn't help but begin to cry. Clara was never going to get over this. He couldn't watch her lose everything again, once was enough.

Clara ran out of the doors and stood by her car. She took a deep breath and leaned against the car. Her heart ached. Numbness had faded and the pain of sadness overcame her. She grabbed her phone and absentmindedly dialled Danny's number with her shaking hands. It didn't register that she had actually called him until she heard his voice.

"Clara?" He could hear her crying. "What's happened?"

"There's nothing they can do Danny. I'm going to lose her." He sighed, not knowing what to say to her. She needed to be in his arms.

"How long has she got?"

"Hours." Now she completely lost it. Her phone slipped out of her hand and she pounded her hands on the back of the car in frustration.

"Clara? Clara?!" Danny called in worry. Dave ran over to her and held her up. He reached to get her phone from the floor.

"Danny, it's Dave. Can you get here quickly? Is there someone to mind the kids? She needs you now, more than ever." He nodded and looked through at the three of them cuddled up watching tv.

"I'm on my way." He hung up and ran out of the front door. He sprinted across the road to their neighbours house. She came across and sat down with the kids allowing Danny to slip away.

He arrived at the hospital and met Dave in the reception. They gave each other a supportive look. Danny then followed Dave onto the ward and allowed him to sit with Clara who was crying silently whilst holding Grace's hand. He sat beside her and took her other hand. She looked at him and the emotion in her eyes made his heart break. He couldn't help but feel like losing Grace was going to be just as bad as losing her mum. He didn't want her to have to go through that. She didn't deserve it.

"I need to speak to her again. She can't go without me speaking to her." Danny held her hand a little tighter.

"Speak to her now. She can hear you. She may not be able to reply but she'll like to hear you speak." Clara looked at him hesitantly. "Trust me. You can do it." She nodded slowly. "Do you want a minute alone?" She nodded again.

"If you don't mind." Dave and Danny smiled.

"Of course not, we'll wait outside."

They sat in silence on the chairs outside of the ward. Nothing needed to be said. Danny also didn't watch Clara through the window. He wanted her to have her moment with her gran. It wasn't fair for others to peer in. What she was saying only needed to be heard by her and her gran, no one else.

It was a while before anything more happened. Danny stood up to stretch his legs. As he did, Clara ran out of the room in floods of tears. He ran after her quickly not wanting to leave her alone. Dave watched them go but then went back inside the ward. It was then that he saw the no one ever deserved to see. He walked over and looked down at her blue tinged lips. The life had been sucked out of her like a drain. But in the midst of sadness she looked peaceful. Dave kissed her forehead and held her hand for a second.

"Sleep well angel." He said as he walked slowly out of the room to get the doctors.

Danny sprinted after Clara, forgetting how fast she could run when she wanted to.

"Clara!" She didn't stop. "Clara!" He caught up with her and held her back gently.

"She's gone Danny! She's gone!" She sobbed into his chest. She collapsed to her knees and laid in his arms. Nothing could be heard but her gaping sobs. Danny just held her close and spoke to her softly. He ignored the tears that were falling down his cheeks, Clara was the one who needed the attention. Dave ran out to meet them and Danny looked at him. He gave the dreaded nod.

An hour later they were sat in an office. Dave was hopelessly filling in paperwork as Clara sat staring at the wall. The same doctor came back in and sat down. Danny and Dave turned to face him but Clara's attention was absent. The conversation was a blur. All she heard was what must have been the end of the conversation.

"If there is anything we can do for you just ask. You have my support." Dave nodded and Danny shook his hand. Clara now turned to face him.

"Bring her back." Everyone paused. "Do something about it. Bring my gran back." The doctor sighed. "Please! You have to! Bring her back!" Danny put his arms around her but she fought back, pushing him away. He didn't move, he held her until she calmed down. She broke into his chest and sobbed. All three of them watched her crumble without a thing at all to say that would help.

Danny drove Clara home later. They dropped off Dave after offering for him to stay at their house but he kindly declined. Clara walked in and looked over at the kids. Ellie stood up and smiled at her. Clara looked at her and then back at Danny. Panic filled her eyes. He placed his hands on her arms.

"It's alright. Go up to our room. Lie down. You don't need to tell them, I'll deal with it." She hesitated. "I promise. It's okay." She said nothing else. She just walked away silently, shock taking over her. Ellie walked over to Danny, confused.

"What's wrong with mum? Have you been crying?" He sighed. This was not going to be easy.

"Yeah, come and sit down sweetie. I've got something to tell you."

Danny thanked their neighbour and then sat all three children down.

"Mummy and I have been at the hospital. Do you remember when we told you that great grandma was very ill and she wasn't going to get better?" Ellie and Lily nodded. Noah tried his best to maintain attentive. "Well great grandma got worse today and the doctors couldn't help her. So she's, she's gone up to heaven." He didn't know how to word it, watching their faces drop killed him. Ellie looked at him with disbelief.

"So... So she's not coming back?" Ellie stuttered.

"No sweetie. I'm sorry, she's gone." She started to cry a little. Danny pulled her into a hug and held her close.

"It's okay. It's okay." Lily, too, started to cry. He sat on the sofa so that he could comfort all three of them. "Mummy is very very upset so she's gone up to bed." Ellie looked up.

"Is she going to be okay?" Danny sighed.

"She will be, but maybe not for a little while." She nodded. "Why don't we watch the end of this movie and then go to bed eh? It's getting late."

Danny managed to get all three of them tucked up in bed without too much protesting. Noah was oblivious, he was too young to understand. Lily had fallen asleep rather quickly too. Ellie, however, wasn't coping with it as well.

"Are you sure mummy is okay?" Danny sat beside her bed and stroked her hair back.

"She's going to need time. She's really upset. But you make her happy. So don't ever forget that. If you feel upset come and find me. You can talk to me about anything." She nodded. "Are you okay for the minute?" She nodded again.

"I'm okay." He smiled.

"Good girl. Sleep well honey." She kissed him on the cheek and smiled back.

"Night." Danny turned off her light and then walked towards his and Clara's room. She was curled up in a ball on the bed, tears still falling down her cheeks. He walked over and laid next to her. He took her hand and kissed her head.

"I can't process it. How is she gone? She can't be."

"It's hard, I know. Give yourself time. You're still in shock." She shook her head.

"No I'm not. I know what's happened. One of the people I love most in the world is gone. Giving myself time isn't going to make it any easier." He sighed.

"Sorry. That was stupid of me, I know it won't be any easier... Clara, I don't know what to say other than I am so so sorry. If I could bring her back I would." She nodded.

"I know you would. I shouldn't have been rude."

"No, don't worry about that. Just, just know that I'm here to talk if you want to. Or just for support. You don't have to talk if you don't want to." She leant her head into his chest and played with the buttons on his shirt almost as though she needed a distraction.

They laid there for a good hour without saying a thing. But soon Clara sat up and sighed.

"I feel so useless. I should be doing something. But I'm moping around instead." Danny sat up next to her.

"You don't need to be doing anything other than laying here and then getting some sleep." She shook her head and begun to get out of bed.

"I have lessons to plan for tomorrow." Danny almost laughed with surprise.

"You are in no fit state to go to work tomorrow. Even less so to do work now. Come back to bed." She shook her head.

"I need to do something useful Danny." He stood up and stopped her from leaving the room.

"Clara you have just lost your grandmother who was a mother to you for most of your life. Don't be silly. You are allowed to be sad. And you are still in shock so I'm not letting you out of my sight." She sighed as tears fell down her cheeks again. "Please Clara. For me. Take it easy. Rest up and then we can talk more in the morning." She caved in and buried her head in his chest again. He led her back to bed and held her close. He could tell how tough this was going to be. He didn't know how it was going to pan out either. But he did know that he would stay by her side for as long as she needed. Through thick and thin, he would be there. Anything for Clara Oswald, anything.

**I'm so sorry...**


	49. Chapter 49- Life Without Her

**Helloooo, I hope you enjoy, it's a bit of a tough one :((**

Life without her

It had been a week since she died. Time had trickled by without Clara even noticing it. Danny had been taking the kids to school and doing most of the jobs round the house. Clara had surfaced from bed a few times, only when she physically had the energy to. She felt drained, empty even. Like the fight she had within her had disappeared. That fight was her Gran. Now she was gone she had nothing left.

Saturday rolled around and she could hear the kids playing around with Danny downstairs. She expected Ellie to be with them but the bedroom door creaked open and small footsteps entered. Ellie crawled into the bed next to Clara quietly and put her arms around her mum.

"I know you're sad mummy but it's all going to be okay. Because you are brave and always get through everything. I love you." Clara didn't respond for a second. Tears just rolled down her cheeks gently. Ellie sighed at the silence and went to get out of the bed. As she did Clara turned over and smiled a little at her.

"Come here." Ellie did so and laid in Clara arms. "I'm so sorry sweetie, I'm so sorry." Ellie shook her head.

"It's okay, it's okay to be sad." Clara shook her head.

"But I need to think about you as well. Are you okay?" Ellie shrugged and didn't respond so Clara moved so that she could see her face. "Talk to me El?" She propped herself up on her elbow.

"Only if you promise to talk to daddy? He's worried about you, he's trying to hide it but I can tell." Clara nodded and held Ellie's hand.

"I promise I will. We'll go downstairs together in a few minutes." Ellie sighed and nodded.

"I'm okay. I am. I miss her but I'm okay. I'm worried about you though." Clara struggled to hold back the tears that were building up again.

"I know you are honey, I'm sorry for that. But you make it all better, never forget that, you make me happy." Ellie smiled and hugged Clara again.

"I'm glad... But Lily and Noah miss you. So does daddy. Please come and see them." Clara wiped her eyes and nodded.

"Lets go." She got out of bed and took Ellie's hand. They walked downstairs together.

They got to the kitchen and walked in slowly. All three of them stopped and looked over at Clara. They hadn't seen her in almost a week, her walking in was not expected. Ellie and Danny shared a smile.

"Mummyyyy!" Noah called as he ran into her arms. She held him close and kissed his head.

"Morning buddy." He smiled and led her to the table where he started telling her about what they'd been up to with Danny. She loved how he could just carry on as normal. He was still too young to understand so was oblivious to it all really. Lily was a little more hesitant. "Come here sweetie." Clara ushered her over and smiled. Lily walked slowly but then ran into her arms.

"I missed you mummy. I hope you're okay." Clara held her tightly. A hug had never felt better. Tears were still falling down her cheeks, they fell like it was automatic now.

"I'm better now I've cuddled you." Lily smiled and stayed sat on her lap. Danny looked at Clara with a tear in his eye too. She smiled a little at him, a sad smile but nevertheless it was a smile.

Once breakfast was done Danny sent the kids upstairs to get dressed. He closed the kitchen door in a little and motioned for Clara to come towards him. She stood up and walked into his arms. He kissed her head.

"I'm proud of you." She looked up at him.

"For getting out of bed?" He sighed as they both sat back down.

"You've been through a lot. If shutting yourself away is the way you cope with grief then that's fine." She shook her head.

"But it's not. I should have been down here with you and the kids. They've missed me so much and I didn't even notice time go by. How did I do that?" He took her hand.

"You're in denial Clara. The kids understand, it's been hard but they get it. They love you and want you to be happy." She sighed.

"I can't keep doing this though. It's not right." He moved slightly closer to her. "I don't want to hide away. I don't want to live in silence anymore."

"Then let me help you. You don't have to be alone in this. You've got so much support around you, so so much. Talk to me honey." Tears welled in her eyes as he looked at her.

"I- I don't know how to carry on without her... I can't. I don't want to do it." She buried her head in his chest and sobbed. He held her close.

Once she had stopped crying a little he lifted her head up from staring at the floor.

"This isn't going to be easy, it never was going to be. But the first steps are the hardest. Clara, you need to accept that she's gone." She shook her head through her tears. "I know it's hard and that it sounds harsh, I know. But if you don't then you can't move on. Let her go. She will stay in your heart and your memories forever but let her go from here. From that hospital bed. She's in a happier place now." He kissed her head. She sighed and wiped her eyes.

"I know she is. She's gone, I do know that. But I just can't stop thinking that she's going to walk through that door any minute with the kids laughing and playing with her, her smile brightening up the room. I don't want her to be gone, she should still be here. She needs to be." Danny nodded.

"Those memories, use those. Keep them safe. There's no way to bring her back. I wish there was, because then I'd do it without a second thought. But we can't, and you know that. Keep those memories and use them to remember her when she was happy. When she was making everyone else happy like she always did. Like she still does. Yeah?" Clara nodded.

"Yeah." She draped her arms around his neck and sighed. They put their foreheads against each other and smiled a little.

"We will get through this you know. You're so strong. I know you can do this. I love you." She smiled and kissed his cheek before moving to get a tissue. She stood up and headed for the door.

"I'm going to have a shower and get dressed." Danny nodded, glad to see that she had a little more motivation today.

"Good, and then you can come down and eat something." She went to protest. "Clara, you haven't eaten in days. You'll make yourself ill. Please, even if it's just a little bit." She eventually nodded.

He cooked her something and had it ready for when she came down.

"You look a little more like the Clara I know now." She smiled softly.

"I'm sorry Danny." He shook his head.

"Hey no, it's okay. I just want the happy Clara back. I miss her." He kissed her head.

"I want her back too." She kissed his hand and then began to eat.

Later on Dave popped round. He could see that Clara hadn't been eating or sleeping. He knew the signs of that all too well. There was far too much deja vu from when they lost Ellie. He was clearly very worried about her.

"How are you doing Clara?" She shrugged.

"As well as can be expected I suppose." He nodded, realising that that wasn't the best question to ask. "What about you?" He sighed.

"I'm okay. It's you that I'm concerned about. Have you been eating? Sleeping?" She sighed.

"Dad I'm okay." He shook his head.

"You're not. It's happening again. Just like with your mum. I don't want that to happen again." She shook her head and looked to Danny for support.

"No dad, that won't happen. I've eaten and I've slept. I'm coping better this time. I've got Danny and the kids now." Dave looked to Danny.

"It's been a rough week but she's coped through it. I've been making sure she's slept and eaten. I won't let anything happen to her, I promise Dave." He sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. I overreacted." Clara shook her head.

"It's alright." There was a pause and then Dave spoke again rather hesitantly.

"The undertaker phoned today..." Clara's head shot up. "They want to arrange a date for the funeral."

"Already?" He nodded.

"I'm sorry, I was going to hold off but I felt like you should have a part in the funeral. I had to ask you." She nodded back, slowly. "I don't really know what to do... Or where to start." She didn't respond so Danny moved to sit beside her.

"Clara? Are you alright?" She snapped out of her daydream and looked at him.

"I don't want to bury her yet. That means that she's gone forever. I don't want her to be gone." Danny sighed and went to touch her arm. She pulled away and shook her head.

"I know it's hard Clara but it needs to be done." Dave said. She now stood up.

"I can't." She walked out of the room, grabbed her coat and her keys and left through the front door. Danny got up to follow her but Dave stopped him.

"Leave her for a little bit. She needs space to think." Danny nodded, knowing that Dave was right.

An hour later she still hadn't come back. Danny was going out of his mind with worry.

"Where is she?!" Danny began to panic.

"I don't know, but she will be okay Danny. Did she take her phone?" Danny shook his head so Dave sighed. "Where would she go? Around here I mean?"

"She could be in a few places... I'm going to find her. I can't leave her when she's like this." Dave nodded.

"Okay, keep me posted."

Clara sat on the nearest bench and pulled her legs up to her chest. It had been years since she felt this down. She hated it. Tears fell absentmindedly and her hands shook with frustration. After sitting for a few minutes she got up and walked to the phone box across the road. She rang the doctor's number and waited to hear him pick up.

"Clara!" She sighed.

"Can you pick me up? From the park near my house?" He hesitated at her question, what with her having not travelled with him in ages.

"Yeah. Okay. I'm on my way." She hung up and strolled back over.

"Hey." She walked into the TARDIS and began to play gently with the console. The doctor looked at her closely.

"Have you been crying?" She sighed.

"No." The doctor shook his head.

"Yes you have. I know that face." She gave him a look.

"I'm fine. Can we go somewhere? Somewhere fun." He moved the screen away from her and shook his head.

"No. Not whilst you're like this." She scoffed.

"Like what?! I'm fine!"

"No you're not. You're not fit to be travelling so I'm not taking you anywhere." She sighed in frustration.

"Doctor. I'm okay! Just please! Let's get away from here! Let's go somewhere dangerous, have an adventure like old times."

"I won't let you anywhere near danger. You've got too much to lose, and besides, I know what you're like when you get reckless." She glared at him.

"Reckless?!" He nodded.

"The answer is no Clara. I'm taking you home." She walked towards him.

"No!" He shook his head and sighed.

"Danny told me." Now she looked back up at him.

"What?"

"Danny told me what's happened. You have been crying, and you really aren't okay." She shook her head.

"When did he tell you?"

"The other day, he rang. Thought I should know as you always tend to come to me when you're upset." She groaned in frustration.

"Why did he do that!? Please doctor!" He shook his head.

"No. I won't." As he spoke he landed the TARDIS. He walked towards the doors and opened them. They were back outside Clara's house. Tears fell down her face again. She shook her head in anger. "I don't want to go home! Doctor why are you doing this!?" She waved her arms in front of him as she gradually began to lose control.

"Because you are really not okay, and travelling isn't going to help you. Clara please." She shook her head.

"NO!" She screamed.

"Please calm down, I want to help you."

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! NO ONE UNDERSTANDS!" She had completely lost control now. Tears stained her face and her whole body shook with sadness and anger. The doctor watched her break down with surprise. He had never seen her this upset before, it hurt him to watch.

"I'm going to get Danny." She watched as he jogged towards the house. He didn't move, it was almost as if her feet were glued to the ground.

Danny ran outside immediately. He came to her side but she pushed him away.

"Why did you tell him!?"

"He needed to know Clara. I knew you would go to him and I didn't want you getting in any danger." She stepped backwards and placed her hand on her head. "Clara please, come inside." She shook her head and took another step back. Danny edged closer to her. As he did she walked back further not seeing the car that was approaching. Danny leaped forwards and pulled her out of its path. She broke down in his arms and sobbed.

"I don't want this. I don't want it." She cried. He held her to his chest, ignoring tears of his own. Dave ran outside but stopped when he saw Clara. He placed both hands on his head and sighed. It was all too familiar. He couldn't let her break again. Once was enough. He couldn't watch his little girl in such pain again.

The day of the funeral arrived. Clara had been quiet all week. She'd not been as bad as before but she was nowhere near back to herself. Danny could tell that. He got himself ready and then made sure the kids were getting dressed. He helped Noah into his suit and then took him downstairs to grab some breakfast. Both girls came down not long after, their hair done neatly and their black dresses paired with new shoes. Danny couldn't help but smile a little.

"You look lovely, you two. Great grandma would have been very proud." They both smiled widely and sat down to eat their toast.

"Where is great grandma going?" Lily asked innocently.

"What do you mean honey?" She didn't look up, she just absentmindedly played with her toast as she spoke.

"Well she's not here anymore. And she's not in the hospital so where is she going now?" Danny sighed a little.

"She's going to be buried darling, in the graveyard." Lily frowned.

"How do they get her down there? Do they dig a hole?" Danny tried not to show an awkward expression as he knew she was only asking out of curiosity, she meant no harm. It just wasn't very appropriate today.

"Yes they do, and they put her down in a coffin very gently. And then you can put flowers where they lay her." Lily nodded and didn't ask anymore, much to Danny's relief.

"Is mum going to be okay today?" Danny looked up, not sure how to answer this one either.

"It's going to be hard for her, very hard, but she will be okay. Don't worry." Ellie nodded, seeming to be satisfied with that.

Soon Clara came downstairs too. Her hair was placed neatly in a bun and she was wearing a black dress that laid gently just above her knees. Danny smiled as she walked in.

"Toast?" She shook her head and grabbed a drink of water instead. She looked like she was going to be sick from nerves. He stood up and kissed her head. "You're doing so well." She smiled a little.

"Are you alright mummy?" Lily asked, making Clara smile a little more.

"I'm okay honey, did you sleep well?" Lily nodded.

"Yes, well, I did but I got a bit confused because I woke up and my legs were hanging out of the side of my bed. So I don't know how that happened." She said very matter of factly. They all laughed a little.

"You must have moved in your sleep Lily." Lily shook her head at her sister.

"No I didn't, you can't move when you're asleep silly. Because your legs go to sleep too. Everyone knows that." Ellie giggled and looked over to Danny who sighed.

"Is that right honey?" Lily nodded.

"I saw it on tv!" Danny frowned.

"Did you now?" They all laughed. Clara watched them all chat away happily. She normally would have joined in but something stopped her. She felt so detached from everything.

They arrived at the church and met Dave who was stood very nervously at the door.

"Morning."

"Morning." Danny said back. Dave smiled and then looked to Clara. "I'll take the kids inside, give you some space." Dave nodded a thank you to him.

"How are you feeling today?" Clara almost laughed.

"Like someone's died." Dave sighed.

"My Clara, always a sharp tongue." He put his arm around her and kissed her head. "We'll get through this. Today we can say goodbye and properly let go. She would want us to move on, no fuss about her. I think we owe her that at least eh?" Clara nodded a little. "Come on, let's do this together." She looked at her dad and grabbed the hand being held out to her. They walked in slowly.

They got outside to the grave and listened to the vicar say his words. Numerous people placed flowers down on the grave and shed a tear in her memory. Clara didn't do a speech as everyone had expected her to. It was too painful. She didn't want to show that level of emotion in front of the kids, she didn't feel as though it was fair. Once they had all said their goodbyes everyone left apart from the Dave, the kids, Danny and Clara. They stood around the grave in silence. Tears fell down Clara's cheeks as she looked at the name plaque. It had finally started to sink in that she was gone for good. She wasn't coming back and Clara needed to comprehend that, she had to.

Ellie stepped forwards and placed her flower down.

"I'll miss you gran. Thank you for always making me believe in myself. I have so much more confidence because of you. Love you." She then stepped back and held Clara's hand. Clara kissed her on the head and sighed.

"Love you lots gran." Lily said.

"Me too." Noah said quietly. Danny smiled.

"Good boy." He picked him up after seeing him getting tired. He then looked at Clara. He could tell what she was going to ask him without even speaking. "Come on kids, let's get back to the car and let mum have a moment to herself." He nodded over to Dave to come with them too. Once they were out of sight Clara sat down on the grass, not caring that it was wet. She crossed her legs and fiddled with the flower in her hands.

"I don't know how to carry on gran. I know what you'd say, you'd say that I need to put my head down and get on with it. You've always been there for me even when I was little. I've never had to cope with anything without you before. This is one of the hardest things and you can't be here to help me. I've lost my way without your advice. Without your cheery smile and your witty comments." She laughed a little. "I miss that more than anything. Everyone misses you. I wish you could come back. Even for a second. I'd do anything for that." She paused for a second, almost as though letting go of that last flower meant the final goodbye. Eventually she placed it down and stood back up. "I love you gran. I promise to make you proud." She walked away slowly. She wiped her tears gently and got into the car. Danny nodded over to her and then drove off slowly. She put her hand on top of his as he held the gear stick. He smiled.

Another week passed by and Clara had started to feel a little happier, however there was still so much frustration inside of her. Some days she could control it but others she just wanted to explode. Today was one of those days.

She sat on the sofa and began planning some lessons, the first work she had done in weeks. Ellie was doing her homework at the table and asking Danny a copious amount of questions that he didn't know how to answer. Lily was dancing in front of the tv and Noah was running around aimlessly. The noise built up and soon became too much. She needed to stop it.

"Noah can you stop running please?" He didn't stop. "Noah!" He giggled and jumped onto her lap, knocking some paperwork on the floor. "STOP!" She said, with more anger than she had expected. The whole house went quite at the noise. Noah stepped off of the sofa and walked backwards away from her a little. Danny walked in and gave Clara a look. She immediately felt guilty. "I'm sorry Noah. Come here, mummy's sorry." He looked at her, his big brown eyes full of hesitation. "Come and give me a hug. I'm sorry." He walked over slowly and relaxed in her arms. She kissed his head. Danny stood with his arms crossed at the door. Once Noah had settled she got him to go and play with Lily so that she could talk to Danny. He clearly wasn't happy. He walked forwards and shut the door in behind him.

"What was that?" She sighed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get angry. I- It just got out of hand. It won't happen again." He scoffed.

"Like I haven't heard that before." She looked at him with slight shock.

"What do you mean by that?" He shook his head and sighed.

"I mean that something needs to change. I know that everything with your gran has been so so difficult for you, I get that I really do. But it's time that you tried to get back to your normal self again. As much as you say it is, this isn't you. The old Clara wouldn't sleep in all day to avoid getting up. She wouldn't snap at her kids for doing nothing wrong. And she definitely wouldn't find an excuse to not go to work." Clara looked to the ground. "I'm not saying this out of spite. I miss you. I miss that cheeky smile and those big brown eyes that glisten with every word. I want the old Clara back, I hate seeing you like this." She didn't look up.

"I'm not sure I know how to get her back." He placed a hand gently on her chin and moved her head up to look at him.

"Let me help you. No more shutting me out. No more sleeping all day or ignoring the kids. You can't go on like this and you know it. I'm going to do everything I can to make you happy again. But I need to know that you want to as well?" She nodded.

"Of course I do. I'm sorry Danny." He shook his head.

"Don't be. You can do this. I love you." He kissed her softly and then let her lay into his chest. She felt so fragile in his arms, but at the same time, he knew how much strength she had. Clara Oswald was the strongest person he knew, and she always will be.

That evening they all settled on the sofa to watch a movie. Clara and Danny sat in the middle with the kids laying over them. Noah had fallen asleep on Danny's lap and Clara was stroking Lily's hair softly. Danny turned to face her and smiled. She smiled back and kissed him quickly.

"I love you." He mouthed to her as they watched all three of their children start to nod off to sleep. It was then that Clara felt a little more positive. She hated herself for how she had been the last few weeks but now that she was looking at her children she knew that she needed to change. If she couldn't do it for herself then she had to do it for them, and for her gran.


	50. Chapter 50- Good Fortune

**Finally some happiness and some smiling :) enjoyyy **

Good fortune

Clara sighed as she woke up slowly. Danny didn't stir so she watched him sleep peacefully. There was something about the way he slept that made her fall in love with him more every time she saw him. It was a good half an hour until he woke. His eyes opened slowly and his face turned to a smile as he saw her looking at him.

"How long have you been awake for?" He said, mid-yawn. She smiled.

"Not long. I didn't want to wake you." He smiled back at her and then kissed her softly. He moved her hair out of her face and then watched her move so that she was more comfortable.

"You look better today. More refreshed." She nodded.

"I feel it. That's mostly down to you though." He smiled. "Last night was perfect." He giggled a little.

"It was pretty good wasn't it." He winked and leaned over to kiss her again. She returned the kiss and allowed him to move slightly on top of her. He kissed her deeply. As he did so they heard little footsteps coming into the room. Danny moved off of her quickly making her laugh. Soon enough a little head bobbed along Clara's side of the bed. She smiled and giggled a little.

"Morning monkey!" Noah smiled weakly and lifted up his arms for her to take. She pulled him gently on to the bed and then let him cuddle up in her arms. "What's up?"

"My tummy hurts." Clara sighed.

"In what way? Achy? Or sicky?" He shook his head.

"I don't know mummy." She smiled at his sweet little voice. He was such a lovely little boy, he became more and more like Danny everyday. Danny sat up a little bit and smiled.

"That's a shame, I was going to make pancakes for breakfast." Noah's face lit up in his mums arms.

"Pancakes!?" Danny nodded.

"But you can't have any because you're poorly." He shook his head.

"No, I'm better now." Clara and Danny laughed.

"Are you now?" He nodded. As he did so he slowed a little and Clara knew exactly what was going to happen next.

"Danny!" Danny picked him up and ran him into the bathroom where he was immediately sick in the toilet. Clara got up and ran to Danny's side. Noah began to cry a little bit so Danny crouched down next to him.

"Hey it's alright buddy. You're okay. Do you still feel sick?" He shook his head and relaxed into Danny's arms. He picked him back up and laid him back in bed. They sat watching him drop off to sleep again for a few minutes. Clara laid back in bed with him and stroked his cheek softly.

"He's so beautiful." Danny nodded and kissed Clara on the cheek. "I feel like I've missed so much." He shook his head.

"But you're back now, that's all that matters. The last month has been a big wobble but you've overcome it. I'm proud of you for that." She kissed him softly again.

The extra sleep definitely benefited Noah. Within no time he was running round the house shouting, back to his normal self. Clara got the pancakes cooked as Danny set out on trying to stop Noah destroying everything in his path. He sprinted into the kitchen but Danny grabbed him and picked him up just before he ran into Clara.

"You mister need to calm down! You're going to hurt yourself!" He giggled as Danny tickled him in his arms. Clara smiled.

"Ready for some pancakes?" He nodded and sat down quickly. Danny called for the girls to come to the table and they all sat together happily.

That morning Clara walked past the door to pick up the post. She paused when she saw an unexpected letter from the bank. She walked into the kitchen and opened it slowly. Danny watched her with slight confusion.

"What's that?" She frowned.

"Not quite sure yet." She read it quickly and then leant back on the worktop in shock.

"What does it say?" She handed the letter to him to read, too shocked to explain. As he read it his eyes widened. "That's a lot of money Clara." She nodded and sat down beside him.

"I know! Why would gran leave that much for us?"

"Because she loves you and the kids more than anything." Clara smiled.

"It must have been part of her will... What are we going to do with all of that?!" Danny shook his head.

"I have no idea." They smiled at each other with a mixture of excitement and bewilderment on their faces.

"I think I'll call my dad over. I want to talk to him about it in person really." Danny nodded and kissed her head.

"Of course, invite him for dinner." She nodded back and grabbed her phone to give him a call.

He arrived later that day and was greeted very excitedly by all three kids.

"Grandad!" Noah shouted before jumping into his arms.

"Hiya mate! Are you okay?!" He nodded and hugged him tightly. They all walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. After a quick chat and catch up Clara sent the kids to go and play in the other room.

"A letter came today from the bank, transferring the money that gran left me." Dave nodded.

"Yeah, I was meant to pre warn you about that one." She shook her head.

"It's alright. It's just- It's a lot of money."

"And she loves you very much so wanted you to have it." Clara sighed.

"But all of it?! I mean, Danny and I have had a chat and we don't know what to do with it." Dave smiled.

"You can do whatever you like with it! It's yours. She wanted you to be able to spoil the kids, to go on a few extra holidays, live a little more. That's what it's for. She'll be disappointed if you don't use it for that reason." Clara sighed and looked at Danny.

"Your dad is right. She'd want you to enjoy it and use it to do something that will make all of us happy."

"I suppose so." Dave took a sip of his tea and then spoke again.

"Why don't you ask the kids what they want to do? And it's Christmas soon too so give them the best Christmas they've ever had." She smiled and called the kids in. She laughed as they all ran in giggling and shoving each other playfully.

"So, daddy and I want to do something really fun all together. It can be a day out, or a holiday, or something you would like to buy. It's your choice. Any ideas?" Ellie and Lily paused to think.

"Anything at all?" Lily said.

"Well within reason." Danny said jokingly. Noah moved to sit on Clara's lap.

"Legoland!" He shouted. The girls nodded in agreement. Danny smiled.

"I've always wanted to go there actually." Clara laughed and stroked his cheek.

"Okay, that's a deal. We'll go to Legoland." Everyone smiled.

"Can grandad come too?" Ellie said. Clara nodded.

"If he wants to." She looked to Dave who smiled widely.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." It went quiet for a second and then Lily spoke again.

"Can we go back to that place where great grandma took us? The place in the countryside that had the big play area?" Clara and Danny nodded.

"I don't see why not, a mini holiday sounds nice." Clara nodded in agreement.

"That's a plan then!" All three kids smiled.

Dave headed off after dinner and Noah and Lily went to play upstairs. Ellie walked back into the living room hesitantly.

"Are you okay Hun?" She nodded slowly and cuddled into Clara who kissed her head.

"Mum." She said quietly as though she was about to ask a question.

"Yeah. What's up?" She looked up. "Come on El, talk to us." She nodded and sat so that she could see both Danny and Clara.

"Will our holiday be sad?" Clara frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the holiday is because of money from great grandma but she's not here anymore. So are we meant to be sad when we're away because she can't come with us?" Clara sighed and took her hand.

"No honey, not at all. Great grandma left us the money so that we could do something nice all together. So that we can go somewhere nice that makes us all happy. She can't be there but she'd want us to be happy. She'd want us to enjoy ourselves." Ellie nodded.

"But what if I panic and get upset like I always do when we go away? Because that means that I'm not happy and enjoying myself." Danny moved to sit on the other side of her.

"El, you can't help panicking. It's not your fault. If it happens then we'll deal with it like we always do so don't worry. You won't be anxious for the whole time we're away, just a little bit of it so you can still be happy. Great grandma knows that you enjoy being on holiday, you just enjoy things in your own special way." She smiled a little and hugged into Danny who put his arm around her. "Don't worry sweetie, it will be okay. We're all here for you." She pulled away and smiled at both parents.

"Thank you. Can I go and read my book now?" Clara smiled and nodded.

"Of course you can." Ellie smiled and walked out of the room. Once she was out of earshot Clara leant her head on Danny's chest and sighed. "Bless her. She's so small but so strong." Danny nodded.

"She gets that from her mum." Clara looked up and hit his chest.

"That's for talking about my height." He laughed a little bit.

"But you are quite small. I love that though." She giggled and kissed him softly.

A few weeks later half term arrived. Clara had been back to work and was gradually feeling herself again. The kids had been much happier in themselves as well which, in turn, made Danny happy too. Life had moved on a little, in the right direction.

"Noah!" Clara called up the stairs. "Where are you?" He had run away from her when she was trying to get him to pack his toys for their holiday. "'Noah!" No response. She sighed with frustration and jogged up the stairs. She walked into his room to see him trying to hide himself in his wardrobe, this failed hilariously however. She laughed and picked him up. "Nice try mister." She tickled his tummy making him giggle. "Now, come with mummy and we'll pack your toys." He shook his head. "Okay. No toys for Noah then. We'll leave all of them here." She started to walk out of the room as she waited for his change of mind. As she expected he piped up just as she got to the door.

"No mummy! I do want toys!" She smiled and walked back into the room.

"I thought so! Come on then."

A few hours later they finally managed to get all three kids packed and sat in the car. They had planned to leave before lunch but of course that was never going to happen. Dave was coming with them but they'd agreed to meet him half way at the service station.

"All ready to go?" Everyone nodded so Danny pulled off of the drive. They got down to the end of the street and Noah sighed.

"Are we there yet?" They all laughed.

"We left thirty seconds ago." Ellie said.

"But are we there yet?" She shook her head.

"No Noah. We still have hoursss to go." He crossed his arms as Ellie laughed at his angry face.

"Okay don't tease him Ellie, we don't want any melt downs just yet." She giggled and nodded. Danny and Clara shared a smile.

They arrived at the service station after an hour or so. Danny switched off the engine and looked to Clara. They both looked back at the kids who all looked quite content.

"What's the plan?"

"We've only got another half an hour in the car so I vote to leave them there. They look happy enough." Danny nodded. "I'll call my dad and see where he is." She grabbed her phone and got out of the car.

Dave ran to meet them a few minutes later.

"Where have you been!? I've been waiting for hours." She smiled and hugged him.

"Noah had a strop, Ellie lost her shoes and Lily couldn't decide which teddy to bring so it was all a bit of panic. Sorry, I should have rang you." He shook his head and laughed a little.

"No no! It's fine! I had a great time choosing what coffee to get from the costa machine." She rolled her eyes.

"Easily pleased eh." He nodded and looked through the window of the car before waving at Ellie who waved back happily.

"Do you want to get straight on the road then?" She nodded.

"We might as well. We can get there early evening and then have dinner."

"Okay, see you in a bit."

The hotel room was so much nicer than they expected. There was a bunk bed for two kids and single for the other as well as a huge double bed for Danny and Clara. Their balcony looked right out on to the hills which the sun was slowly setting behind as they watched. Danny up behind Clara and put her arms around her waist.

"This is perfect." He nodded.

"It really is. The kids love it already." He kissed her cheek.

They met Dave for dinner and then headed out for a walk before the sun went down. The kids ran a little bit ahead as they giggled away with each other. Danny, Clara and Dave walked behind them.

"I remember coming here like it was yesterday." Clara said. Dave smiled.

"You always did love it here. Gran wouldn't let the summer holiday pass without bringing you. The kids love it just as much as you do." She smiled and nodded. As she did so Noah stopped and shouted.

"Look! River!" All three kids ran towards the flowing river just off of the path. Danny ran after them to prevent any accidents.

"Wait for daddy, Noah." Noah stopped and walked back to grab Danny's hand.

"Can we go in the shallow bit?" Clara smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, take your shoes and socks off." They all started to do so.

"You too mum!" Ellie called. She went to protest but Danny pushed her forwards.

"Go on, show them how lovely and warm it is." He winked making her sigh.

"Come on mum!" She nodded and got her shoes and socks off too. She grabbed Ellie's hand and smiled. "You have to go in first." Clara sighed. Ellie winked at Danny and they both giggled. She took a few steps in and tried to hide the shock of the cold on her face.

"Is it cold?" Lily asked. Clara shook her head.

"No, it's like a sauna!" They all laughed. "Come on then! In you get!" Ellie shook her head.

"It's too cold!" Clara laughed and walked towards her.

"No way! You made me get in so you're coming in too." They both giggled. Clara held her hand as she climbed in and then did the same for Lily. Both of them jumped straight back out again.

"ITS FREEZING!" Lily shouted. Danny laughed as she tried to splash water on him.

"Oi!" She laughed back.

"Can I go in daddy?" Noah said innocently. Danny nodded and took his shoes and socks off for him.

"Walk over to mummy." Clara came to the edge and held his hands.

"Ready?" He nodded so she helped him step down and let him stand ankle deep. He stood for a second and then immediately started to cry. Clara laughed and picked him up and kissed his head. "It's okay! It's only water!" He shook his head and buried it in her chest.

"Too cold mummy!" They all laughed. She passed him back to Danny and then went back to the girls.

"Can you show me how to skim stones?" Clara nodded and grabbed the flattest one she could find. She threw it carefully and watched it bounce along the water.

"That's so cool!" Lily said. They both picked up more stones and started to throw them, albeit very unsuccessfully but they had fun nevertheless. Clara watched them happily. As she stood by the edge of the water she realised that this was the happiest she had felt in a long time. It was like the part of her that was missing had come back, finally.

The next afternoon they all went back to the hotel room for a little while. As Clara laid on the bed there was a knock at the door. She frowned and got up to open it. She smiled when she saw Dave stood there. He stepped inside and grinned.

"All ready to go you three?" They all nodded and grabbed their shoes and coats. Clara frowned again.

"What's-?" Danny smiled and pulled her back towards him. He mouthed a thank you to Dave as he left the room with the kids. Once the door was shut Clara turned to face him. "Where are they going?" He smiled.

"They're going to the farm with their grandad, so we have the whole evening to ourselves." He spoke whilst pushing her hair behind her ear making her smile.

"And where are we going?" He grinned.

"We're going out for dinner. You'll have to wait and see what else were doing." She smiled a little and kissed him softly.

"Do I need to dress up?" He shook his head.

"No, you're beautiful the way you are." She kissed him again.

Later they headed down for dinner. They walked hand in hand across the bridges and through the fields and into the next village.

"I'm glad you know your way because I don't." Danny said as Clara laughed.

"So much for you taking me out for dinner, I think it's the other way round mister." Danny smiled.

"As long as we're together I really don't mind either way." She kissed his shoulder as they walked along.

The pub they stopped at looked out onto the hills. They decided to sit outside to get the best of the view. Both of them felt so relaxed as they sat and ate together. The evening air was cool but pleasant to sit in.

"I've missed this."

"Me too." Clara paused. "I've let things get on top of me recently, I shouldn't have. You and the kids are my top priority, you always will be. Especially from now on. I love you." He kissed her softly.

"Welcome back honey." She smiled widely and kissed him back.

Once they had eaten Danny led her to the side of the road.

"You see that hill up there?" She nodded and looked in the direction in which he was pointing. "There's a walk that goes right to the top of it. I'm not sure if you will have done it before, your dad suggested it. Said it was a good one." She nodded and smiled.

"Lucky I put my walking boots on then eh." He nodded back and took her hand.

They walked for a good half an hour and only reached half way. They stopped for a rest and looked across the landscape in front of them. The birds sang peacefully. The sun reflected gently off of the trees and the clouds painted pictures in the sky as they slowly moved with the breeze. The whole scene exuded calmness, which was exactly what Clara and Danny wanted.

They got to the top and Danny turned Clara away from the view.

"There is a reason why I brought you up here." She frowned a little. "You always talk about this place and how it brings back such great memories. I not only wanted you to make more memories with the kids this time but I also want you to be able to use this place to remember your gran even more than you already do." He walked over to the table where they had put their things down and grabbed his rucksack. She watched as he opened it.

"What's that?" He smiled.

"Two Chinese lanterns. We can light them and send them away. It's getting dark now so it should be perfect. With it you can send all of the happiness you've felt this holiday. Then she'll know that things will be okay. That they'll always be okay." Tears welled slightly in Clara's eyes.

"Danny I-" He smiled.

"It's okay, you don't need to thank me just yet." She laughed a little and nodded. "Ready?" She nodded so he began to put the lanterns in to shape. She held one and he held the other. He lit them carefully and then they walked a little closer to the edge. Clara hesitated before letting it go. "Okay?" She nodded and took a deep breath.

"Goodbye gran. Stay safe up there." They both let go and watched them float up to the sky. Danny put his arm around her and kissed her head.

"I love you, unconditionally."

The next day they drove home and managed to unpack. Everyone was exhausted so the kids were early to bed. Clara and Danny soon followed. They laid in bed quietly, Clara's head resting on his chest. She slowly ran her fingers up and down the ripples in his chest. He smiled and kissed her head.

"Thank you for this holiday, it's been perfect." He smiled.

"It's been so great to get away for a little bit. I'm glad that you're feeling more like yourself. I've missed you." She sat up a little.

"You've brought me back from somewhere I didn't want to be Danny. That means so much to me. I can't explain how much I love you for that." He kissed her.

"You don't need to. I know." She smiled and kissed him back. Suddenly he changed the topic of conversation. "Do you think the kids are asleep yet?" She nodded.

"Most probably, they were tired." He smiled.

"Good." He kissed her deeply. He rolled her over and moved to be on top of her.

"Let's finish off what we started before our son nearly projectile vomited all over us." She giggled and grimaced a little.

"Oh Danny, you have such a way with words." He winked and kissed her again.

"Hey, I'm a maths teacher."

**Yayyy happiness :)**


	51. Chapter 51- Pink Christmas

**Christmasssssss**

Pink Christmas

The build up to Christmas had been nothing less than stressful. Clara loved Christmas, she really did, but buying all of the presents and the decorations had not been easy. The kids always wanted to go shopping with her when she went and she was running out of excuses to give now.

She walked down the stairs and grabbed her shoes. Ellie appeared at the door and smiled.

"Can I come with you?" Clara smiled back.

"You don't even know where I'm going yet!" Ellie shrugged. "What if I was going somewhere really boring?" Now Ellie giggled.

"I'd still come with you." Clara sighed.

"Okay, I'm going to the dentists. Still want to come along?" She nodded.

"Yes because you're not actually going to the dentist, you went last week. Monday to be precise." Clara shook her head and kissed Ellie's cheek.

"You, miss, are you smart for your own good." Ellie smiled. "But you can't come with me today, it's a secret shopping trip." Now an even wider smile appeared on her face.

"Christmas presents!?" Clara nodded.

"Yep! So you need to let me buy some on my own so that there are some surprises for you!" As she spoke Noah ran in to the room.

"Christmas presents!?" He shouted. Clara sighed. Lily then ran in as well making Clara laugh.

"Did I hear presents!?" They all stood watching her intently. She looked to Danny. He smiled and walked towards them.

"You monkeys need to stay here. Mummy is going to get secret stuff that her and Father Christmas have talked about." Noah's eyes widened.

"Really!?" Clara and Danny both nodded.

"Yeah, but children aren't allowed to go because it's a big surprise for them on Christmas Day!" All three kids smiled and nodded. "You can help daddy wrap some other presents." He winked at Clara who kissed him quickly and mouthed a thank you to him.

"See you all later, love you."

A couple of hours later she emerged from her car looking rather flustered. Danny went outside of the house to meet her.

"Alright there?" He held her hand as she got out of the car.

"I hate shopping at Christmas." He laughed and kissed her head.

"I think most people do. Successful trip?" She nodded and opened the car boot to show him a few things she had bought. As she did Noah ran out of the front door. He jumped up and tried to look in the boot, giggling as he did. Danny laughed and picked him up. Whilst tickling him, he put him back inside. Clara followed closely behind.

"Oi monkey!" They all laughed. "You're going to have no surprises left if you keep sneaking about!" He giggled.

Danny strolled downstairs and grabbed his breakfast the next morning. Clara kissed his head and grabbed hers too. Ellie walked in and sat with them.

"When can we decorate the tree?" Clara shrugged.

"Do we even have a tree now?" Danny laughed.

"No, it broke last year, remember?" All three of them giggled at the memory of it collapsing on top of the tv and burying Lily with it.

"Can we get a real one this year then?" Danny and Clara looked at each other.

"That's a good idea actually." Ellie smiled.

"Let's go today! And then we can put it up next weekend?" Everyone agreed.

Later, they set out to find a tree.

"We've got to get a HUGE one." Lily exclaimed as they walked through them on the edge of the nearby woods.

"It's got to fit in the living room honey." She shook her head.

"Daddy can cut a hole in the roof so it can fit." Danny scoffed.

"And watch the house collapse as I do it." Clara laughed. They walked for a while trying to find the perfect one. Noah ran ahead a little, his hat bobbing off of his head as he did. Suddenly, he stopped and pointed at one.

"This one!" He walked closer and waited for the others to catch up. He touched one of its branches and then jumped backwards and screamed. "SPIDER!" They all laughed.

"You scream like a girl." Lily said. Noah pushed her and shook his head.

"No I don't!" She laughed. Danny cupped the spider in his hands and walked to put it down on the ground. As he did he backtracked quickly towards Noah and showed him it. He screamed again and jumped into Clara's arms. He cried into her shoulder. They all laughed as Danny finally put it down.

"It's okay, it's gone now." He shook his head. "It is! I promise!" Clara kissed his head and wiped his tears. He looked at Danny for a second and then smiled and carried on walking. Clara and Danny laughed.

Eventually, they chose out a tree. They got the man to cut it down and tie it up for them. They paid and Danny carried it to the car.

"Is it going to fit?" He looked at her for a second.

"It better do... I didn't think of that." She smiled and opened the boot.

"If it doesn't, we'll have to leave the kids here." She winked at him. After numerous attempts they managed to get it in the car. Noah had to sit on Clara's lap and Ellie and Lily were practically sat inside the tree. It was only a short drive home so they all laughed about it.

The next weekend was decoration time. They all headed out to buy what was needed. Whilst trying to stop all three kids from running in different directions, Clara and Danny tired to decide on what colour to go for.

"Mum what about pink!?" Lily called. Danny shook his head.

"Um no way." She laughed. Noah went over to the shelf where all of the toys were and turned on every single singing one there. Clara sighed at him dancing to all of the songs playing simultaneously. She walked over to him and crouched down.

"Stop annoying the shop assistants, you!" He helped her to turn them all back off.

"Mummy can I get one?" She thought for a second and then nodded.

"Yes, you've been a good boy so you can have one as a treat. Only one though." He smiled and ran back to choose one. Danny had chosen out some baubles to which Clara nodded.

"I like those." He smiled.

"What about lights?" She thought for a second.

"Blue and white?" He nodded and went to grab some. Ellie picked out the star to go on the top of the tree and Lily chose her own decoration.

They got home and Danny grabbed the tree from the garden. He came into the room to see all four of them dancing to Christmas music. He laughed and shook his head.

"What a sight." They all laughed back.

"Join in daddy!" He did a little jiggle and then put the tree down.

"That's all you're getting from me." Clara smiled and pushed him a little.

"Spoil sport." She winked.

They all helped to put the lights and the decorations on the tree. Ellie had assigned Lily to baubles, Clara and Danny to lights and Noah to tinsel. She directed them all until they had finished. They all stood back and looked at the tree.

"It's the best Christmas tree I've ever seen!" Noah said.

"I like it." Danny said. They all smiled. Clara rubbed her hands together.

"Right, I think a Christmas movie calls." They all nodded.

"Nativity?!" Everyone nodded in agreement and, after Lily singing and dancing the whole of the movie to them, they happily went to bed after a good day.

Schools broke up for the holiday the following week. Clara's last class filtered out and she sat at her desk with a smile on her face. Danny strolled in to see her and matched her smile.

"We've survived another term." She smiled and nodded.

"We have. I think I'm going to go mad if I hear another Christmas song today but we have indeed." He laughed and kissed her softly.

"I can't wait for Christmas this year." She smiled.

"Me neither. I've got a good feeling about it." They kissed again and then headed home.

The next few days flew by and, before they knew it, it was Christmas Eve. Noah was buzzing with excitement. Clara loved to see him happy but sometimes it got a little too much. He had not calmed down for at least a month now.

"Noah stop!" Ellie said as he pulled on the back of the chair she was sitting on. "Noah!" Clara walked in the room to see what all of the noise was about. "NOAH!" Ellie shouted. Clara went to pull him off of the chair but he laughed and pushed her to the side. She sighed and watched him run away. Danny gave her a look and then ran after him. He picked him up and sat him down at the kitchen table.

"Right you." Noah giggled and tried to get away but Danny held his arm to stop him. "No, sit down." He did so immediately. "I know you are very excited but you need to calm down. You've annoyed your sister and pushed your mum. That's naughty." He nodded but tried to get back up again. "Noah stop. I mean it. Settle down a little bit please. You're going to hurt yourself." He eventually did so and Clara managed to get him to sit on her lap to watch a movie, which was an absolute miracle.

When the evening arrived they began to get ready for the next morning.

"Noah are you going to get a carrot for the reindeers?" He nodded and went to the fridge. Ellie grabbed a glass of milk and Lily the mince pie. They all put it down by the tree excitedly.

"Is Father Christmas going to eat the mince pie?!" Noah asked. Danny nodded.

"Yep, when we get downstairs in the morning it'll all be gone!" He giggled happily.

The kids eventually got to bed and fell asleep surprisingly quickly. Clara and Danny began to get the presents out of the garage and put them under the tree.

"I dread to think how much we've spent on them this year." Danny laughed.

"Oh god, I don't want to know." She smiled and placed the last few presents down. As she got to the bottom of the bag she was holding she pulled out a present that she didn't recognise. She frowned and looked to Danny. He smiled a little and took it out of her hand.

"I was hoping you'd spot this one. I wanted to give it to you now. I know it's not technically Christmas yet but I think now is the perfect time." She smiled and then opened the present slowly. Inside was a music box with beautiful rose gold detailing around the edges. As she wound it up it played her mums favourite piece of music, one that brought back so many great memories. She smiled widely.

"Danny... I love it." He grinned and kissed her head.

"Open it." She did so and gasped.

"Are you serious?!" He nodded.

"Tickets to that fancy restaurant you've always wanted to go to and a VIP pass for the London Eye at night." She squealed with excitement and flung herself into his arms. He hugged her happily. She pulled away and kissed him deeply. He moved her backwards so that she was laying on the sofa.

"I love you so much." He smiled and kissed her again.

"I love you too. This really is going to be the best Christmas ever." She smiled. "Upstairs?" She nodded and kissed him again.

The next morning Danny and Clara were woken by three very excited children. They jumped on the bed and giggled with each other as they got ready to open their stockings. Clara smiled and rolled over to look at the time. 5:00. She sighed happily and switched on the light. She then cuddled into Danny and watched their faces light up as they began to look inside.

Soon enough they wanted to go downstairs. Clara grabbed her dressing gown and went down first to switch on the Christmas tree lights. Danny then took the kids down and grabbed his camera. Clara opened the door slowly and let them walk inside. All three of their faces lit up. For a second none of them moved. They just stood in absolute awe. It was the sort of moment that makes Christmas worthwhile. It didn't take long though for Noah to dive in.

"Be careful honey." Clara held him back a little bit. She then sat him on her lap by the tree. "Do you want to give out the presents to everyone?" He nodded and began to hand them out. The two girls sat grinning excitedly. Once they'd done it Danny and Clara smiled at each other.

"Anddd GO!" They both said. All three kids began to rip open the paper.

As they did Clara and Danny watched their reactions intently. Clara knew she had made some good choices of presents but there was always that doubt in the back of her mind that they might not like something. Noah started to giggle and scream with excitement as he opened boxes of lego. He was going through a phase where that was all he wanted. It was one that Danny quite enjoyed too, not that he'd admit that. Lily was more than happy to receive a new scooter that she had wanted for months and Ellie got reading her new books as soon as she could. All three were happy.

"Go on then." Ellie said to Clara and Danny as she put their presents in front of them. Danny opened one and sighed. Everyone else started to laugh as he unwrapped the rest of it.

"Oh very funny." He held up a 'bah humbug' t-shirt against his chest.

"It suits you." Clara winked and laughed as he hit her with it playfully.

Once the rest of the presents were opened Clara and Danny stood up together.

"Okay, we have one last surprise for you." They all started to get up too.

"No no, stay in here. Daddy will go and get it." It went silent for a second. They waited intently. Suddenly a tiny white dog ran into the room and onto Ellie's lap. All three kids screamed with excitement.

"A DOG!" Noah shouted.

"YOU GOT US A DOG! I'M SO HAPPY!" Lily screamed. Ellie looked at the dog in absolute awe. Lily then picked him up and kissed him softly. She then started to cry a little bit. Clara smiled.

"Are those happy tears?" She nodded and laughed.

"Yes. You're the best parents ever." She sobbed. Danny pulled Clara into a hug as they watched the kids play with it. She kissed his cheek and smiled.

"How did you keep this a secret?!" Ellie said.

"Grandad gave us a little helping hand."

"I LOVE HIM!" Noah shouted again. "Can we call him Steve?" Both girls looked at him in disgust.

"No way!" Clara and Danny laughed.

"Let's call him Cody." Ellie said. It went quiet for a second and then they all nodded in agreement.

"Cody. I like that." Danny said as the dog ran into his lap. They played with the dog all day. Noah had already introduced him to all of his other toys and Lily had begun to make him a bed out of pillows.

It settled down in the evening. Noah fell asleep on Clara's lap and Cody did the same on Noah's lap. Ellie, Lily and Danny cuddled up together as they all watched the Christmas tv. They finally managed to get Noah into bed without waking him and settled Cody down in his bed. Ellie moved to cuddle up to Clara on the sofa once she had come back downstairs.

"Alright honey?" She smiled and nodded.

"Thank you so much for today. It's been the best Christmas ever." Clara smiled and kissed her head.

"You're welcome sweetie. I'm glad you liked them. What was your favourite?" Ellie laughed.

"As if you have to ask. Cody of course." Clara grinned.

"Yeah, stupid question. He's very cute indeed." Ellie nodded.

"He's the best thing ever. I love him so much." Clara kissed her head again and continued to watch the movie. As she sat there she felt a feeling of accomplishment. There was nothing she loved more than seeing the kids happy and they certainly achieved that.

The next day Dave came round for Christmas dinner. As he played with the kids and Cody, Clara ran around the kitchen trying to get everything cooked and on time. Danny walked in and sighed at her.

"Need a hand?" She nodded.

"Please. Can you put the veg on and do the gravy?" He nodded. As he got started he watched her continue to stress. He stopped what he was doing and then held her gently to prevent her from doing anything else than looking at him.

"Clara, calm down. It'll all go to plan." She sighed and leant into him. "Stop stressing. We're going to have a lovely day and you are going to relax and enjoy it." She smiled as he kissed her head. They started to get back on with cooking.

The meal was demolished relatively quickly without any problems, except for having to tell Noah not to feed the dog the carrots that he didn't want to eat himself. They all sat and chatted at the table for a while.

"So, what's the plan for the rest of today?" Clara shrugged.

"I don't know, I hadn't got that far. What does everyone want to do?" Everyone stopped to think.

"Can we go ice skating? At the rink at the Christmas market across the road?" Ellie asked. Everyone nodded.

"Okay, yeah, that sounds like a plan."

They got wrapped up and walked across to the market. The kids ran straight to the rink, buzzing with excitement again.

"Come on you three, let's get your skates on." They all nodded and followed Danny. Dave followed.

"Coming on?" Clara shook her head and laughed.

"I'll pass." She winked at him. She got her phone out ready to take pictures. Ellie and Lily had been skating with their friends quite often so were rather good at it. Dave, on the other hand, really wasn't. The girls laughed as he tried to keep up with them.

"Come on grandad!" Lily said.

"You're walking! Not skating!" Ellie called as she skated back to him to hold his hand.

"We can pull you along!" Both girls took a hand each and began to skate forwards. Dave shook his head.

"No no no! Stop!" They all laughed. Clara watched happily from the side. Danny had grabbed Noah one of the penguin skaters for support so that he could go along himself.

"Come on then!" Danny said to him as he skated slowly behind him.

"Too fast daddy! Too fast!" Danny laughed and skated back to him.

"You wimp!" Noah giggled.

A while later, Danny left the kids happily with Dave and came back over to Clara. He came off the ice and pulled her into a hug as they continued to watch the others.

"Okay?" She nodded but didn't say anything back. He sighed, he knew exactly what she was thinking. "What's up?" She shook her head.

"Just thinking." He smiled and turned to face her.

"About your gran?" She now turned to face him too.

"How did you know?" He laughed a little and brushed her hair out of her face.

"I always know." She sighed and leant her head into his chest.

"I miss her Danny. So so much. She should be here. This Christmas has been great but it feels like something is missing." He nodded understandingly.

"It's bound to feel strange. And that's okay. Just know that she would want you to be happy and for the kids to have enjoyed Christmas. That would make her happy too." She nodded back.

"I know. I just wish she could have seen it."

"She's here in your heart." He placed a hand on her chest and then moved it to her arm. "I know it's not the same but it's enough. She loves you so much, she always will. This Christmas, the kids happiness, you and I. She'd be so proud of how far we've all come. And I know that she would definitely be telling us to stop being soppy right now if she was here." Clara laughed a little and kissed Danny softly.

"I love you Danny." He smiled and kissed her again.

"I love you too." As she kissed him they heard giggling from beside them. The kids and Dave had skated back over.

"Kissy kissy." Noah said as he giggled away. Clara and Danny sighed and pulled away from each other, still slightly in each other's grasp.

"Are you coming back on?" Ellie said to Danny. He nodded and kissed Clara on the head. She smiled as they all skated off.

Dave went home after that leaving them to relax. Danny opened a bottle of wine for him and Clara and the kids sat and played with Cody. Christmas tv played in the background but Clara wasn't really listening to it. She put her drink down and turned on the sofa to face Danny. She hesitated before speaking. He frowned.

"There's something on your mind and I can't work out what it is." She smiled gently.

"There is. I've just been thinking a lot lately." He put his drink down too and took her hands.

"About your gran, you mean?" She shook her head.

"It's not that." She paused again. "Watching the three of them this past week has made me the happiest person alive." They turned momentarily to see all three laughing together. "I don't ever want them to not be happy. They deserve to have the best life we can give them." Danny nodded in agreement.

"Where is this going?" She sighed. She just needed to get it out there or she'd never say it.

"I'd like to have another one." Now Danny looked up with shock.

"What?!" She smiled.

"They're growing so fast. And I think another baby would make our family complete." He laughed a little nervously.

"Wow. I wasn't expecting that." She smiled. "Where's this come from all of a sudden?"

"I don't know. I just really want another little baby, another person in the house." He smiled.

"Let's do it." She raised her eyebrows with surprise.

"Really?!" He nodded.

"Yeah. Let's extend this crazy family we have a little more." She grinned and kissed him deeply. He returned the kiss and they both giggled.

"Thank you for the perfect Christmas Danny." They grabbed their glasses for a toast.

"Here's to many more."

**Yayyy! I hope you all have a great Christmas!xx**


	52. Chapter 52- Noah

**Hello again :)**

Noah

Clara woke up early so grabbed a cup of tea and watched the sun rise. She stood feeling extremely happy. Christmas had gone well, the kids were happy, she and Danny were happy. That was all that really mattered to her. It wasn't long before Danny woke up. He strolled downstairs and slid his hands around her waist from behind her. She smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Morning."

"Morning beautiful. Sleep well?" She nodded.

"Not sure I'm ready to go back to work though." Danny laughed a little.

"Is anyone?" She shrugged in agreement. "I think the kids are ready to go back though. Noah loves school, bless him. El and Lily are doing great too." She smiled and turned round to kiss him.

"We have a very happy family at the minute, I like that." He smiled back at her.

"I like it too. Very much so. And hopefully we'll have another little something to add soon." He placed a hand on her stomach. She smiled widely and kissed him again. They were then interrupted by a loud stomping from upstairs. They both laughed as Clara rolled her eyes.

"Noah's awake then." Danny nodded.

"And 3,2,1..."

"MUMMY!" Noah called from upstairs right on cue. They both laughed again as Clara headed up to see him.

"Morning monkey. Okay?" He nodded and smiled as she walked in and sat on his bed. He hugged her tightly.

"Is it school today?!" He asked as though he had forgotten overnight.

"Yeah! First day back! You can tell everyone about Cody!" He nodded excitedly. "But first you need to clean your teeth and get dressed." He shook his head. He clearly had other ideas. He ran away from Clara's reach towards the stairs. "Noah. Come here please. We need to get your uniform out." He shook his head and ran down the stairs. "Noah!" He'd already gone. He sprinted into the kitchen and opened the gate to the utility room where Cody's bed was.

"Cody!" Danny shook his head.

"No, you know the rules. No Cody until you've been a good boy and got dressed. You need to get ready for school before you can play." They'd had to put that rule in place over the last week after finding that nothing got done without stopping the kids from playing as soon as they got up. Clara soon came in the room and sighed. "Noah!" Danny said. He was ignored again. "Noah Pink!" He raised his voice slightly, just enough to make him look round. "Come here now." He walked to his dad slowly and sat down at the kitchen table. "You know the rules Noah. You need to get ready first." He shook his head.

"But-"

"No buts." Noah shook his head again.

"But you do have a butt! I have one too! And mummy!" He started to giggle uncontrollably. Danny had to try extremely hard to not laugh with him.

"No, this isn't funny. You need to follow the rule like everyone else. Go with your mum and find your uniform please. Off you go." He nodded and walked away from them. Once he was out of earshot Danny started to laugh a little.

"The things that come out of that little boy's mouth." Clara laughed too. He needed to be disciplined but it was always so hard not to laugh when he began to giggle. His laugh was infectious.

The first four weeks of the term had gone relatively smoothly. Everyone plodded along, there were no disasters much to Clara and Danny's approval. Clara begun teaching her fourth class of the day. They were all extremely unfocused and seemed to want to do anything but the work. She sighed as she shouted at them to be quiet for the sixth time.

"The more you chat now, the less work we'll get done. Then you'll have more for homework." She was ignored by most of the class again. This time she sat down and let them carry on chatting for the last ten minutes. As they we're about to leave. "Right then, so I want the next three chapters of the book read for Monday, along with the essay we were going to talk about today. Thank you, off you go." They all looked at her with shock.

"What?!" She shrugged.

"Well you chose not to listen so now you can catch up. Have a nice day." She opened the classroom door and let them filter out. She smiled as she went to sit back at her desk. Oh the feeling of sweet success. She began to do some marking but stopped when she heard her phone ring. She grabbed it out of her draw to see that it was Lily and Noah's school. She frowned and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Mrs Pink?"

"Yes, has something happened?"

"There has been an incident yes. Noah has been refusing instructions all day and hit another student. He's very agitated so we've taken him out of class. Would you be able to come and get him?" She placed her hand on her head and sighed.

"Yes, I'll come as soon as I can. Thank you." She hung up and then stood in silence for a second. Why had he hit someone? It was so unlike him. She couldn't take it in. His behaviour had been so strange recently but she couldn't put a finger on what was causing it.

She jogged down to Danny's class and entered quickly, ignoring the kids sat in there. "Danny." He could tell by her face something had happened. He set the class on a task and followed her out of the room.

"Clara? What's wrong?" She took a deep breath.

"It's Noah. The school rang and he's been misbehaving all day. He hit another student as well." Danny looked at her in shock.

"He did what?!" Clara nodded.

"I know, I know. I can't get my head around it. It's so out of character. I don't know why he did it, something's not right Danny." He pulled her into a hug, seeing that she was very distressed about the situation.

"Are you going to get him?" She nodded. "Make sure you ask the teachers exactly what happened. You never know, it could have been provoked. We don't know the situation yet so try not to worry too much." She nodded again and sighed. "Keep me posted?" She smiled and kissed him quickly.

"Will do."

She got to the school in record time. She walked to the doors quickly to see the teacher already waiting for her.

"Ah, hi Mrs Pink." She smiled a little. "He's just through here." They went into a small room. It was the same room she had come to get Ellie from so many times before. It brought back memories, bad memories. Noah was sat on a beanbag, arms crossed, looking more than frustrated. "I'll let you have a word with him." The teacher headed out of the room. Clara sighed and sat down beside him.

"Mummy." He hugged her tightly.

"Noah what happened today?" He looked at her.

"I didn't mean to. I'm sorry." She shook her head.

"Explain to me what happened."

"My teacher was giving me work that I couldn't do. And then James called me stupid and I hit him. I got cross. I couldn't do my work mummy." She sighed.

"Why couldn't you do your work?" His eyes searched around the room as he spoke, like was unable to focus on one thing at a time.

"Too much in my brain. My head didn't let me do it." Clara paused to think. "Am I in trouble mummy?" She sighed, she didn't really know what to say to him. He should be in trouble but somehow she felt as though there was something going on that wasn't his fault at all.

"Daddy and I need to talk to you about it but you're not in bad trouble. You need to be a big boy and talk to us without being silly, yes?" He nodded. She kissed him on the head. "Can you stay here for a minute whilst mummy goes and talks to your teacher?" He nodded and laid back down on the beanbag. Clara sighed and headed back out of the door.

"Hi, I've spoken to Noah about this and he says that the boy he hit, James is it?" The teacher nodded. "He called Noah stupid which is why he hit him." The teacher nodded again.

"Right, I didn't know that. I will ask James about it."

"Thank you." Clara hesitated before speaking again. "Does this happen often? I mean, is Noah quite distant in class a lot of the time?" She followed the teacher to sit down in an office to the side of the corridor.

"He is rather distant yes. He has trouble staying focused in class. Although, he has a lot of friends and is a bag of fun so I wouldn't be worried about that side of him." Clara nodded. "At the moment Noah not paying attention isn't so much of a problem, he's young so class work is revolved around the practical side of things. But as he gets older it may start to impact him." Clara nodded again but frowned as she did.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that it may be a good idea to speak to someone about the situation. I've worked with many children over the years and Noah does seem to be less engaged than most of his age."

"What do you think it could be?" The teacher stopped to think.

"I'm not a doctor so I wouldn't take what I'm saying for certain but he could have ADHD. I used to teach a boy who had ADHD and Noah is a lot like him." Clara sighed a little and nodded.

"Okay, thank you so much for your time. Am I allowed to take him home now?" The teacher nodded and showed Clara out. She went back into the room and grabbed Noah's things. He then picked him up, seeing that he had dropped off to sleep, and carried him to the car. Before driving off she sat for a second in silence. She didn't want to believe that he could have ADHD. But at the same time, it made so much sense. He had always been a hyperactive child but sometimes it was so hard to get through to him. Thinking about the possibility made her feel so guilty. So many times they had told him off but now there could be a chance that he just couldn't help it. She hated that.

She got home and laid him down on the sofa to leave him to sleep. She made a cup of tea and sat down, she continued to think through the situation. Danny came home with the girls a while later. Ellie ran off to do her homework and Lily got changed for her gymnastics class. He looked into the living room to see Noah asleep and frowned. He then went into the kitchen to see Clara looking rather lost.

"Clara? What happened?" She sighed.

"Everything got a bit complicated." She said as she rubbed her hands over her face to wake herself up. He sat beside her and took her hand.

"Talk to me." She nodded and told him what had happened in the classroom and what Noah had said about it.

"So Noah really just reacted to what someone had done to him." Clara nodded. "I'm not saying that he was right but he was provoked. So what have they said they'll do?"

"They're going to speak to James and his parents." She looked away as she finished what she was saying. Danny frowned again.

"Why do I sense you've got more to tell me?" She sighed and began to fiddle with his wedding ring as she held his hand.

"I had a word with the teacher without Noah there. I asked her about his behaviour in general and she said that he's always really distant from the lesson and he can't focus. It's like he can't order his brain. Nothing makes sense and it all gets muddled so he gives up." Danny sighed. "She also said that she recommends we get him checked by a doctor because as he gets older things may get more difficult for him."

"What do you think could be wrong though?" Clara hesitated. She had to tell him. She had to.

"ADHD. She's taught a student with ADHD before and she said that she recognises the symptoms." Danny put his head in his hands and sighed. Clara stood up and walked to stand outside the living room door. He got up and followed her.

"Bless him. He's so young." Clara nodded.

"He doesn't need this. But I think we need to get things sorted, for his sake. There's definitely something wrong." Danny nodded back.

"I agree."

Once Noah had woken up, Clara and Danny sat down with him to speak to him properly.

"Mummy and daddy aren't angry at you. But we need to know that you won't hit anyone again. Hitting is bad, you know that. If you get cross or upset tell someone about it. Don't hit. So because of what you did you're not allowed to go for a walk with Cody for the rest of the week." He sighed and nodded.

"Sorry." They smiled.

"It's alright." Clara paused.

"Can I go and play now?" Clara nodded and smiled.

"Yes, off you go." He jogged off happily out of the room. Clara sighed and moved herself to sit on the sofa. Danny did the same. "There's something wrong Danny. I don't want there to be something wrong." He pulled her into a hug and kissed her head.

"Hey, if there is something wrong then we can sort it. Like we always do. It's okay. Do you want to make a doctors appointment?" She nodded.

"Yeah, I'll do it now."

The next day Clara got ready to go food shopping. She'd been putting it off for a week now but the cupboards and the fridge were too bare to leave. Danny had offered to do it but all he bought was chocolate which wasn't great to make meals with. So she said that she'd go. Noah ran downstairs and watched her put her coat on.

"Where are you going mummy?" Clara smiled as she grabbed her keys.

"I'm going shopping."

"Can I come?" Clara thought for a second and then nodded.

"Okay. You have to put your coat and hat on though, it's really cold outside." He did so, with a little help, and then they headed out. Clara decided to walk, she needed the fresh air.

In the shop Noah began to be his normal mischievous self. Clara left him in the trolley for thirty seconds and came back to see him putting all of the crisps from the shelf into it with him.

"Noah, stop." She started to put them all back but he had other ideas. He grabbed the chocolate from next to it and pulled that in as well. "Noah! We don't need this, stop being naughty!" The tone of her voice made him stop for a second. They carried on through the shop but Clara had to stop when Noah started calling her.

"Look mummy! Power ranger pyjamas!" Clara shook her head.

"Not today buddy."

"But mummmmm!" She shook her head.

"No, you've been a naughty boy so you can't have them." She carried on walking, ignoring his moaning.

They paid and began to walk home. Clara had ended up carrying all of the bags as Noah was having none of it. She couldn't help but regret bringing him. She loved spending time with him but not when he was in this sort of mood. She just prayed that they could get home in one piece.

She watched Noah run on ahead.

"Not too far Noah! Stay where I can see you!" He looked back but giggled and kept running. "Noah!" She looked ahead to see the main road not too far from them. "Noah Pink, come here right now!" He sped up more and showed no sign of stopping. She shook her head and began to jog after him. The road got closer and closer and he didn't even look back. "NOAH!" She put the shopping down and sprinted to stop him from going further. She managed to grab him seconds before an oncoming car hit him. "Noah don't do that! That was dangerous! You could have been killed! You have to listen to mummy!" Now, even he looked a little shocked. It was as though he hadn't quite realised what he was doing and then the realisation hit him suddenly. "Come on. We're going home." She grabbed his hand and refused to let go.

As she walked in the door Danny walked over to help her with the bags. She looked at him with tears in her eyes. He immediately moved closer to her with concern.

"What happened?!" She shook her head.

"I'll talk to you in a minute. Kids, can you all go and play please." They nodded and ran upstairs. Clara and Danny moved all of the shopping to the kitchen. Clara sat down at the table and started to cry a little. Danny came to her side. "Clara, what's wrong?"

"We were coming home and Noah ran off ahead. He kept running and he wouldn't stop. I had to run after him and he nearly went straight into the main road. It was lucky he wasn't hit." Danny sighed and sat beside her.

"Come here." She leant her head into his shoulder as he held her in a hug.

"I feel so bad Danny. I should have stopped him quicker." He shook his head.

"No, don't blame yourself. If it hadn't have been for you things would be a lot different now. It's okay, we'll get this sorted." She sighed as he kissed her head. As he did so, Noah walked into the room.

"Why is mummy crying?" He said to Danny. Danny picked him up and put him on his lap.

"Mummy's a bit upset about what you did on the way home from the shops." He looked down and nodded, knowing he did wrong.

"I'm sorry mummy. I didn't mean to make you sad." She shook her head and smiled.

"It's okay. But you must listen to daddy and I when we tell you to do something. You could have been really hurt today." He nodded.

"Sorry." Danny kissed his head and hugged him tightly. He then looked to Clara who gave him the nod. "Noah, mummy and I are going to take you to the doctors tomorrow to talk about you not being able to concentrate at school." He frowned.

"Why?"

"Because we don't want you to get left behind. People think you're a bad boy but you're not. We want to sort that out." He now nodded.

"Okay. Will it be like when you took Ellie to the doctors?" Clara was surprised he remembered any of the Ellie situation. He hadn't been old enough at the time to know what was happening so he had been told about the day instead.

"A little bit yeah."

"So you and daddy will be really sad?" Clara quickly shook her head.

"No no, we'll be fine. We'll all be fine. We just need you to be a brave boy." He nodded again and smiled a little bit. The smile that made Clara's heart melt every time she saw it.

Clara laid in bed the next morning. She was dreading their appointment. After Noah had said it would be like Ellie she couldn't shake the thought. She knew that it was an entirely different situation but, still, the whole thing made her feel nervous. Danny rolled over a while later. Still half asleep he laid his arm over her and pulled her closer. She smiled and moved to lay within is grasp.

"Morning." All she got out of him was a grunt making her laugh. "Oh good morning Clara, did you sleep well?" She imitated what she had expected him to say instead. He laughed a little bit and opened his eyes slowly.

"Sorry. I'm sleepy." She stroked his chin gently and kissed his cheek.

"I know you are. It's okay." They laid there for a while longer before Danny started to wake up properly. He moved so that he could see her face.

"Are you okay?" She nodded.

"Yeah I think so." He frowned.

"You think so?" She sighed and smiled a little.

"I just feel a bit weird about today. I know we need to go and that it'll help Noah but, I don't know, I can't help but feel that it's going to be like Ellie all over again. I don't want it to be like that." He kissed her head and stroked her arm.

"It's bound to bring back memories but, trust me, it'll be completely different. Noah doesn't have PTSD, put it that way. And this is something that we think we know already. So if it is ADHD then we're expecting it." She nodded.

"I guess so."

"I'll be there for you, by your side. It'll be fine." She kissed him softly and laid back into him.

Clara went to get Noah from his room a few minutes later. She smiled to see him laying with his legs hanging out of his bed and one arm resting on the headboard. How he was asleep in that position she didn't know. She woke him up gently. He refused to wake up so she picked him up and walked him to Danny.

"We've got a very sleepy little boy here." Danny smiled as Noah snuggled into him.

"Ah let's leave him for a few more minutes. Look at his little face, I can't bare to wake him." Clara kissed him on the cheek and smiled.

They arrived at the doctors after leaving the girls with Dave. They only sat in the waiting room for a few minutes before they were called in. Clara liked that, the longer she waited the more anxious she got. She just wanted it over with.

Inside the room, Noah sat on Danny's lap and looked around the room as he always did.

"Hi, I'm Doctor James, how can I help you today?" Clara looked slightly to Danny for him to speak first.

"We've got a few concerns about our son, Noah." The doctor nodded.

"Okay, how old is he?" Noah looked up.

"I'm five!"

"Wow! You're a big boy now aren't you!" He nodded and smiled. "What seems to be the problem?"

"He's always been a very... lively, let's say, child. He's very difficult to discipline and often has trouble taking in instructions. It's as though he can't work it out in his head. Clara, my wife, went to his school to collect him just the other day and his teacher said that he always has trouble with concentration in class. He can't focus or listen." The doctor nodded.

"Okay. Was the teacher concerned about this?" Danny nodded.

"Yes, she suggested we bring him to make sure everything is okay. We don't want this to impact him as he gets older, as you'll understand."

"Do you mind if I take him over and have a chat to him?" He pointed to the table beside them. Clara suddenly felt a huge amount of deja vu.

"So Noah. What do you like doing?" He spoke as he scanned the room.

"I like playing with my dog Cody. We got him for Christmas!"

"Wow that's cool! What about at school? What do you like doing there?" Noah seemed fixated on something behind the doctor, a poster on the wall it looked like, so he was quickly losing interest in the conversation as he usually did. "Noah? What do you like doing at school?"

"I like playing with my friends."

"What about learning. Do you like doing your lessons?" He shook his head.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because my teacher always makes me listen to her and I can't." The doctor nodded, Clara could almost see the cogs going around inside his head.

"Why can't you listen?"

"Because my brain doesn't want to. I think about other things. So I can't think about my work." The doctor nodded again.

"Okay, good boy. Do you think you can help me?" He nodded. "You see those toys over there? Could you put them away in the big box for me?" He nodded and started to do so. The doctor came and sat back with Clara and Danny. "Right, so I definitely can see what you mean about the loss of interest and concentration. A lot of five years old are like that, but I'd say Noah more so. From watching him I know what I would diagnose him with. But I have a few questions first, if that's okay?" They nodded. "Does Noah often change what he's doing? So he can't sit and maintain one activity for a long period of time."

"Yes, he's always moving about."

"When he is given an instruction does he ignore it or does it seem more like he can't understand it?"

"He can't understand it, I don't think he has the intention of not complying."

"Finally, does he fidget a lot? Sat at dinner? Whilst watching a movie?" They nodded.

"Yes, he doesn't sit still." Now the doctor nodded. He typed up a few notes and then turned back to them.

"I believe that Noah is displaying a form of ADHD. Within that, I believe he has ADHD-C. This is a combination of the two main types of the condition. It means that he displays hyperactivity but also unresponsiveness." Clara and Danny nodded back. "I sense you were expecting this verdict?"

"We had a feeling that it would be this."

"I want you to know that it is treatable. There is no cure but medication can be prescribed and tailored to what he needs. And there are counsellors who can help him to overcome it and deal with it through cognitive behavioural therapy. I will also refer you to a behaviour specialist to confirm the diagnosis but I don't believe that it will change." Clara looked over to Noah who was happily playing in the corner. "It's a lot to take in Mrs Pink, I know. But you made the right decision by coming today." She smiled and nodded.

"Thank you so much doctor." Danny shook his hand as they headed out of the room.

"You'll get an email about the follow up appointment soon, I wish you the best."

"Thank you."

They drove home in silence. Clara and Danny knew what was coming but now that they had heard it they felt a little uneasy. Guilty even. If they'd known earlier, would they have treated him differently? How was he going to cope in the long run? Did they want him to have medication? So many questions ran through Clara head. She didn't know how to comprehend it.

**Andddd slight cliffhanger **


	53. Chapter 53- Dealing with diagnosis

**This is kinda part 2 to the previous chapter, enjoy :)**

**P.S sorry it's so late, I've been super busy with school and work! :) x**

Dealing with diagnosis

Clara was awoken by Noah tugging gently on her side of the duvet. She smiled sleepily and lifted it up for him to crawl inside. He settled happily in her arms. She kissed his head softly.

"Are you alright monkey?" He nodded.

"Yeah. What happened at the doctors yesterday?" She froze for a second, not expecting him to ask that question so early in the morning. Her and Danny were going to go through it with him later on. She hadn't thought about how to answer any questions she got before then. Danny stirred gently as Noah sat up to look at his mum. He could sense something was wrong.

"Your dad and I need to talk to you about what the doctors said and what we need to do next." Noah frowned making Clara sigh. She couldn't leave it now, she had to tell him. She nudged Danny awake gently. He quickly propped himself up on his elbow, having heard half of the conversation anyway.

"All right?" Noah nodded and crossed his arms.

"Yes, but I would quite like to know what is going on." Danny and Clara smiled at him, he was so sweet.

"Okay." Clara ushered Noah to sit in between them. "So, we went to the doctors to ask about you finding it hard at school and for when you can't understand what Daddy and I are telling you, remember?" He nodded. "The doctors said that you have something called ADHD. It means that inside your head things get confused and really busy so you can't concentrate." He nodded, thinking about what he had just heard.

"Is it bad?" Clara shook his head as she stroked his arm gently.

"No honey, we're going to get it sorted. There are lots of other doctors that you can talk to to make it better." He nodded again.

"So, will I be able to do my work when I've talked to the doctors?" Clara's heart broke a little as she heard him speak. She hated to think of him feeling that way.

"Yes sweetie. We'll try to help you." He went quiet for a second. Danny pulled him into a hug.

"You're both sad aren't you. I thought you said that it wasn't going to be like when Ellie was poorly. But it is. You're sad." Clara sighed as she felt her eyes well up.

"We are a little bit sad but that's just because we care about you and we want to make sure you're okay. You haven't made us sad at all. It's not your fault." He nodded and snuggled into her. Clara looked at Danny. He could see the pain in her eyes. Something told him there was a bumpy road ahead.

Noah ran off to find Ellie a few minutes later leaving Clara and Danny alone in their room. Clara looked at him sadly. He sighed and kissed her head.

"He's a brave boy. He'll be okay." She shook her head as tears started to fall down her cheeks.

"But he shouldn't need to be okay. He's five years old Danny. He should be so carefree but instead he's struggling so much." Danny pulled her into a hug.

"He doesn't deserve this at all but we've got to work through it. We can do this. We'll get the help we need from the doctors and the school. He's a strong kid, he gets that from his mum." She looked up and smiled a little. He wiped her tears and kissed her head again. "I promise. We'll get through this." She nodded and sat up a little bit.

"It's just so unfair. Ellie and Noah, they're such amazing kids. But they've got so much going on." Danny nodded.

"We've had a rough journey, I'll give you that. But without that we wouldn't be the Pink family. Somehow, Lily has managed to get to the age of twelve relatively unscathed. She seems to be the only one." She nodded and smiled a little.

"That's true. We may have not had the best luck but I wouldn't change it for the world."

A week filled of hospital trips passed and Noah's ADHD was confirmed. Part of them wanted to feel relieved as it meant that they knew what they were dealing with and that it was treatable. But the other part was drowned in guilt, somehow Clara felt like she was to blame for it. She couldn't shake the feeling.

She laid in bed awake watching Danny sleep. 6am. She'd been awake for hours and she had to admit that she felt extremely rough. It was a familiar feeling. She moved to make herself more comfortable and then sighed. She jumped out of bed and ran for the bathroom. Danny woke to the sound of her throwing up in the toilet. He, too, jumped up and ran across the room where he crouched down beside her. He rubbed her back softly and pulled her hair away from her face. Eventually, Clara sat back against the bath.

"Okay?" She nodded weakly. "Stupid question eh." She laughed a little.

"I feel like death." He sighed and kissed her head.

"Let's get you back to bed." She nodded and took his hand.

The next few mornings the same thing happened. There was a huge amount of deja vu. She knew in her mind what was wrong with her, if you could call it wrong. She just didn't know how to deal with it yet. Danny stirred awake to see her not beside him for the third time in a row. He walked to the bathroom sleepily and sat beside her. She leant her head on his shoulder and sighed.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Danny said.

"I think I am. I think a pregnancy test is needed." He nodded with a small grin on his face. She stroked his cheek gently, he was so adorable. Just as adorable as when she had first met him.

"I'll go and get one now." She shook her head.

"Are you sure? It's still early." He smiled.

"I can't wait." She now smiled back and headed into the other room to sit on the bed.

"Thank you, I love you." He kissed her quickly and left once he had thrown some clothes on.

She sat nervously waiting for him. It felt like years. For some reason, she had thought that she'd be less nervous now. Fourth time around and she was just as nervous as when she found out she was pregnant with Ellie all those years ago. Her mind seemed to wander as she sat alone watching the sunrise. So many wonderful memories they had made as a family. She really couldn't believe how lucky she was sometimes. They'd been through so much but come out the other side much happier. There were still things to fix and many rough times ahead but she knew deep down that they'd all be okay.

She snapped out of her daydream when she heard Danny enter through the front door again. She looked at the clock. Five minutes he'd been gone. She could tell he was excited. He handed her it when he came into the room. She kissed him and nervously took a deep breath.

"Don't be scared. I love you." She nodded and kissed him once more.

"I'll be back in a second." She disappeared off into the bathroom again.

She emerged again and sat beside him.

"Three minutes." He nodded and took her hand.

"I'm more nervous than the last three times. Why am I so nervous?" Clara smiled at him.

"So am I. It's not like we've had no practise." He nodded and kissed her head. The three minute felt like years. They both got more and more nervous as the time went on. Clara picked up the test and smiled.

"So?" She handed it to him.

"Take a look." Soon, the same smile she had shown on her face appeared on his. He pulled her into a hug and kissed her softly.

"Looks like we're going to be parents again!" Clara smiled widely and then took a deep breath.

"I'm not sure how we're going to manage it but, that aside, I really can't wait." She kissed him again and laid into his chest. Suddenly, they both jumped apart as they heard the bedroom door open. Ellie walked in sleepily but stopped dead once she had looked up.

"What's that?" She said as she looked at the test in Clara's hand. Clara and Danny gave each other a look. What were they going to do now? This was not how they had expected things to go.

"Uhh..." Danny struggled to think of what to say as he sat up to let Ellie sit on the bed beside them.

"Is that a pregnancy test?" She said as she got closer to them. Clara sighed and went to speak but she was interrupted. "ARE YOU PREGNANT!?" Ellie shouted happily.

"SHH! Shh, speak quietly so Lil and Noah don't hear." She nodded.

"Sorry. But are you?!" Clara showed her the test.

"Read it."

"You are! Oh my gosh! I'm so excited!" Clara smiled and pulled her into a hug.

"It is very exciting indeed, but it's still very early so you've got to be good and keep it quiet. No telling anyone." She nodded and smiled.

"I promise. Please let it be a girl!" Danny laughed.

"Poor Noah." Ellie laughed back.

"No I love Noah. But I'd really like a little sister again. Lily is growing up too fast." Danny and Clara nodded in agreement.

"Yes, you all are. But there will be another little one running around soon." They all smiled.

Later on in the day, Noah began to play up again. He ran up and down the kitchen as Clara was trying to make lunch.

"Noah." He ignored her. "Noah! Please be careful." He giggled and ran into her legs, knocking her slightly. "Buddy, please stop. You'll hurt yourself." He shook his head and ran back across the room. This time he managed to knock a bowl off of the worktop. It smashed on the floor sending its contents and shards of glass all over the floor. "Noah! Stop where you are right now!" As she shouted Danny came running in after hearing the noise. Noah had gone a little quieter now, he hadn't meant to break anything.

"Come here you." Danny ushered him over to his side where he was crouched down. "You mustn't run in the kitchen, okay? It's dangerous. You can run in the garden as much as you like but not in the kitchen." He nodded.

"I'm sorry Daddy." Danny smiled and pulled him into a hug.

"That's alright. Say sorry to your mum too." He nodded and went to walk towards Clara. They both moved to stop him.

"No no, mind the glass." He stood back.

"Sorry Mummy." He turned around and walked out of the room. Clara sighed at his sad little face. She hated telling him off but it had to be done. She just didn't know how to handle the situation yet. She carried on tidying the mess when Danny came over to help her. She didn't look up from the ground. Eventually, he lifted up her chin with his hand.

"You did the right thing Clara. Don't beat yourself up about it. He needed to be told off for that." She sighed and nodded. He wiped away the few tears that had escaped and kissed her head.

She went upstairs to find Noah a while later, surprised that she had heard nothing from him in the last half an hour. She entered his room slowly to see him sat on his beanbag looking rather solemn.

"Are you alright monkey?" He shook his head.

"I didn't mean to make you sad and angry Mummy. I'm sorry. I got too excited and I couldn't stop." She nodded and kissed his head.

"That's okay. I understand. I didn't tell you off to be mean, I just didn't want you to get hurt. Running in the kitchen is dangerous, you know that." He nodded.

"I won't do it again. I can buy you a new bowl with my pocket money from grandad if you would like me to." She sighed and pulled him onto her lap. She couldn't resist cuddling him.

"You don't need to do that sweetie. We can get another bowl anytime. But I can't get another you if you get hurt. I don't think they sell Noah's at the shops." He giggled a little bit.

"They might do!" She laughed.

"Well I hope they don't! You're too special for there to be more than one of you." He leant his head into her chest and cuddled her tightly. She cherished moments like these. Moments when he was so calm.

That evening, Danny managed to get all three kids sat down in one place to watch a movie. Clara walked in and handed him is drink. They gave each other a look and Clara nodded. Ellie sat up now too, she knew what was coming.

"Okay you three. Mummy and I have something to tell you." Ellie smiled excitedly at a very confused Lily and Noah. "Mummy is pregnant. You're going to get another little brother or sister." Lily screamed with excitement and jumped into Clara's arms. They all laughed happily. She sat back eventually and wiped her eyes a little.

"Aww honey, are those happy tears?" She nodded as Clara kissed her head.

"I'm so excited!" She said through her sobs. Clara and Danny sighed. Noah sat quietly for a second.

"Alright?" He nodded with a confused look on his face.

"So there's a baby inside mummy's tummy right now?" Clara nodded.

"Yeah! But it's really small at the moment." He nodded back.

"Is it a girl baby? Or a boy baby?"

"We don't know yet. We need to wait until the baby is bigger to find out." Noah stood up and started to walk around. He never sat still for more than a minute at a time.

"I want it to be a boy." Ellie and Lily shook their heads.

"No, it needs to be a girl." Noah looked up.

"No! It's a boy!" Lily shook her head again.

"Girl!" Clara and Danny sighed.

"Okay okay, settle down you two. We can't choose what it is. So whether it's a boy or a girl we will all love it the same yes?" Noah sighed and nodded.

"Yes daddy." He paused. "But boys are better." They all laughed as he ran away to stop Danny from picking him up playfully.

Noah refused to get out of bed the next few mornings. His behaviour had deteriorated over the last week for no apparent reason. It was starting to take its toll on Clara and Danny's patience.

"Noah, please. Come on, you need to go to school." He shook his head and kicked Clara away.

"NO! I'M NOT GOING." Clara sighed and pulled his duvet from on top of him.

"Noah Pink, get out of bed now! I won't ask you again." He didn't move.

"NO!"

"Right, that's it." Clara left the room and walked through to find Danny. He noticed her distress as soon as she walked in.

"What's happened?" She sighed and rubbed her hands over her face.

"Noah happened. He's refusing to get up again. I've tried but he's not having it." Danny nodded.

"I'll sort it."

He walked into Noah's room and sat on the end of the bed.

"Come on, time to go to school." He shook his head.

"NO NO NO NO!"

"You have to go to school. You know that." He kicked Danny right in the stomach making him flinch back a little. "If you don't get up right now you'll not be allowed to play with Cody for the next week. No walks, no nothing." Noah thought for a second and then sat up. He wiped his eyes and got out of bed. He began to get his uniform out, albeit very reluctantly.

"Good boy." Danny sighed. Him and Cody were almost inseparable. Danny didn't like to threaten the kids with punishment but in this case, he knew it would work.

Danny had to carry him into the school gates when they arrived. His teacher let them go through reception where Danny placed him down.

"Come on Noah. You'll have a nice day. Be a good boy. We'll see you later." He screamed and cried back at Danny.

"NO! Daddy no! Don't go!" Danny's heart broke a little. He didn't want to leave him but he knew he had to.

"I'll see you later buddy." He ran after Danny again but he didn't look back. They'd had to drag him to school now three days in a row, leaving him was the only way to get him to stay.

Danny got back in the car and sighed. He rubbed his hands over his face. Clara placed a hand on his arm.

"Okay?" He nodded slightly, giving her a look to tell her that he'd talk to her about it later.

The next week was the same story. It got worse every day. By Friday Clara and Danny were at their wits end. They'd run out of things to persuade him with so dragging him there had become the only option, no matter how hard it was.

"Noah come on. This is getting silly now. Why don't you want to go to school?" He dug his head into her shoulder and shook his head. "Talk to me Noah. What's wrong?" He refused again. Clara sighed. They eventually got him to school but it was the most difficult morning yet. Before she left she headed to speak to his teacher. "Has anything been happening over the last few weeks? It's just that this is so unlike him." The teacher nodded understandingly.

"He's been very unsettled and hasn't been playing with anyone at break time. I was going to ring you today actually. I'm concerned that what happened last month may have continued after it was resolved." Clara sighed, it all suddenly made sense. Why hadn't she thought of that? "I will keep an eye on it today and we can have a more formal meeting sometime next week?" Clara nodded.

"Yes, thank you." She left back out of reception and headed to the car.

Clara kept her phone close to her all day. She couldn't miss the call if she was to get one from Noah's school. It wasn't until lunchtime that she heard her phone ring. She dismissed her class and answered it quickly.

"Hello." Clara recognised the voice that spoke immediately, Noah's teacher.

"Hi Mrs Pink, sorry but would you be able to come in and collect Noah. He's very distressed again and is asking for you. I think I've worked out what is going on between him and the other boys in his class." Clara sighed and pulled her fingers through her hair. Danny walked in and noticed her distress.

"Yes, that's fine. I will be there as soon as possible. Thank you." She hung up and began to pack up her things. Danny walked closer to her.

"What's happened?" She sighed.

"That was Noah's teacher again. I'm going to collect him. Somethings happened and he's really upset. I think I'll just take him home and see if he will talk to me about it." Danny nodded and took a deep breath.

"Okay, be careful. Keep me posted." She nodded, kissed him quickly and left.

She got to the school promptly and followed the teacher straight into the room where she had been only a few weeks before. As before, Noah was curled up on the beanbag. He could tell he had been crying.

"Hi buddy." He stood up and ran into her arms.

"I want to go home mummy. Please." Clara sighed and attempted to hold back her own tears.

"We can sweetie. I'll take you now. But can you tell me what's wrong?" He hesitated but then nodded slowly. "Come on then, let's go." He took her hand as she picked up his bag.

They got home and he sat down on the sofa.

"Did you eat your lunch?" He shook his head.

"I forgot. Can I have it now?" Clara nodded and went to grab it from his bag. She sat and watched him eat contently for a minute. He was so sweet and had so much feeling. It was times like those when he reminded her of Danny.

"What's been happening Noah? Is someone being mean to you?" He nodded slowly. "Is it James?" He nodded again.

"And his friends. They used to be my friends too but he made them not like me. Now I don't have any more friends." Clara pulled him closer to her, not wanting him to ever leave her arms again.

"What happened today?" He rested her head into her.

"I was going to eat my lunch and they kept calling me stupid. They laugh at me when I can't do my work. I told them to stop but they didn't. They keep doing it." Clara sighed.

"How long has this been going on for? Since I came and got you from school last time?" He nodded. She immediately kicked herself for not noticing it. He'd been so unsettled yet it hadn't occurred to her why that was. "Look, we'll sort this honey. Daddy and I will go and talk to the teacher-" He looked up suddenly.

"No don't mummy! Because they'll know and laugh at me again." She shook her head.

"No, we'll do it without them finding out. Your teacher knows already so she can talk to them for us, yeah?" He settled back down and nodded.

"Okay." He settled on her lap. Her eyes filled with tears as everything sunk in. She stayed there until Noah dropped off to sleep. Once he had, she moved him carefully and went into the kitchen. Tears fell down her cheeks as she looked out of the window.

She soon heard the door unlock so she quickly wiped her eyes and pretended to be busy. Danny noticed Noah asleep so shushed the girls. They both walked in to the kitchen to see Clara. She tried to hide the fact that she'd been crying but they noticed immediately.

"Mum, are you okay?" Lily said.

"What's wrong?" Ellie added. Danny heard them so walked in quickly. Clara looked to him and shook her head. He sighed understandingly.

"Why don't you two go and get changed so that I can have a chat to mum?" He winked at them to let them know it was okay. They nodded and left together. Clara walked into his arms. He kissed her head and moved to sit down at the table. "What's happened? Is it Noah?" She nodded and wiped her eyes.

"He's being bullied Danny. He has been for weeks, quite badly too." Danny's face turned from concern to slight anger.

"What?! By who? Are the school sorting it?" She nodded again.

"You know the whole James situation? Well his teacher thinks that things have escalated from there." Danny nodded and took a deep breath.

"So what happened today when you went in?"

"I've arranged to see the teacher next week. He's so upset Danny and I didn't even think about why that was. The whole time he was protesting about going to school we were punishing him but he wasn't doing it to be bad, he was scared." Danny sighed and held her hands.

"Clara, you can't possibly have known. No matter what has happened, this is not your fault." She shook her head and stood up to grab her cup of tea.

"Are you sure about that?" He sighed and stood up next to her, knowing that there was no way he could persuade her to believe otherwise. He knew from experience that she always blamed herself for everything. He hated it when she couldn't see how much of a great mother she was. She was always the last person to take credit for her actions.

"That little boy loves you more than anything. There's not one part of him that blames you for any of this. No one blames you apart from yourself. Now, we will get this sorted because it needs to stop." She nodded and went to kiss him but they both stopped when they saw a very sleepy Noah at the door. They both smiled at him as Danny went to pick him up. "Tired monkey?" He nodded. "Well its Saturday tomorrow so you can have a lie in." Noah nodded back as his head sunk down onto Danny's shoulder. Soon, he was fast asleep again. "I'll take him to bed." Clara nodded.

Danny somehow managed to get Noah to wake up just enough to put his pyjamas on and then place him into bed. He sat on the floor next to him for a few minutes, watching him doze off again. He stroked his head and tucked him in.

"It's all going to be okay buddy, it'll all be okay." He said as he left the room quietly. Seeing his son so peaceful made him never want to leave.

**Poor Noah :(( but new babyyyyyy!**


	54. Chapter 54- Lost

**Hi again! I'm extremely sorry it's been so long since the last chapter. It may be this way for a while now due to exams and all. I hope this is worth the wait :) x**

Lost

Danny walked up behind Clara and placed his hands round her waist. He gently rubbed her stomach and kissed her cheek.

"Ready to go?" She nodded and turned round to kiss him. She walked away to grab her shoes and her coat. It was their first scan today, Clara honestly couldn't wait. It seemed like so long since they had been in this position with Noah. All three kids were growing up so fast now, having a new baby was all Clara and Danny wanted and more. As they got ready, Noah came running towards them.

"Can I come too!?" Clara smiled and crouched down to him.

"No honey. Not today. You need to stay and keep grandad company!" She looked to Dave who was sitting in the living room. "We'll bring home the pictures to show you." He nodded and hugged her quickly before running to Dave. Noah always seemed to be so much happier over the weekends. It broke Clara's heart to think that school was causing so much upset.

They arrived at the scan, both of them excited. Clara's midwife happened to be the same one she had with Noah which was a nice surprise for them. They watched the screen intently to see their baby. Soon, they were given the all clear and then headed off to get the pictures.

They sat in the car and smiled at each other.

"I love you." Clara smiled and kissed him softly. He smiled back.

"I love you too. But you know what time it is, right?" She laughed and nodded. "Right, gender bet round four. What will you choose?" She thought for a second.

"I'm going for boy." Danny nodded.

"Hmm, okay. Interesting. I'm all for a girl." Clara looked at him strangely, not expecting his choice.

"Why do you want a girl? You'll be even more out numbered." He shrugged.

"I don't know. I'd just like another little girl. Another little you. And you know I can't get enough of you." She laughed a little and smiled. He smiled back and then moved to turn the engine on. Clara placed a hand on his arm and stopped him.

"Wait." He turned back round and she kissed him deeply. They both laughed as they pulled away. "Sorry, I felt like that needed doing. It's not like we can do it at home very often." She winked.

"I agree. Speaking of not being able to do that at home, I think we should book a holiday. Just you and I. Not for long, just a weekend or something. We deserve it." She nodded.

"I like that idea. We can start researching later." He smiled and they began to drive home.

They were met by Noah as soon as they parked up the car. He ran out of the front door and waited for them to get out. Clara laughed at Dave running after him.

"Noah, be careful!" He giggled as Dave picked him up and tickled him gently. They got inside called the girls in.

"This is your new baby brother or sister." They passed the photos around, everyone smiling from ear to ear.

"What's that bit?" Noah said as he pointed to the picture.

"The big circle around it is mummy's tummy and the bit in the middle is the baby." Noah looked up, clearly confused.

"But it's just a blob. Where's its head? And it's legs? And it's arms?" They all laughed.

"It's not grown big enough to see that yet. We have to wait for a while until we can see it's body." Noah nodded.

"I think it's going to be very cute. It's also going to be a boy." Everyone sighed again. He had been mentioning it being a boy for weeks now.

"It will be very cute. But it might not be a boy." Noah shook his head.

"It will. I can see into the future." They all laughed.

"So, where do you fancy going?" Danny said as he placed his laptop down between him and Clara. The kids had gone to bed so it was the perfect time to get looking.

"Were you thinking of staying here or going abroad?" He shrugged.

"I don't know, I don't mind really. France sounds quite appealing." She nodded.

"It does. Is it worth going for a weekend though?" Danny nodded back.

"Of course it is! You can do loads in two days." She laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Okay. Let's look at France then." He began to Google away. Clara watched him happily. He smiled when he noticed her. He turned and kissed her head softly.

They went up to bed later on. Danny began to put his pyjamas on whilst Clara did the same. Before putting his top on he walked towards the mirror and sighed.

"I need to go to the gym." She laughed.

"No you don't, you're fine." He smiled and shook his head.

"I'm getting a dad tummy." She giggled and walked over to him.

"But you are a dad, to three and a quarter babies." He smiled.

"I don't want to be a fat dad though."

"You won't be. You'll just have to start eating more veg." He laughed.

"Oh and what will the kids say when I put a plate of salad in front of them." Clara looked at him and thought for a second.

"Okay, fair point. Why don't you start running to work again?" He shrugged.

"I suppose I could do. I'd have to get up earlier though." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh the sacrifice." He smiled. "Anyway, come on. Can we go to bed please?"

"And do what?" He winked, she sighed. "Joking, joking." She nodded.

"Too right." They kissed each other and then headed to bed to end another crazy day.

The next few weeks flew by and their holiday, which they only had a further two weeks to wait for, seemed more and more appealing. They'd been into school to see Noah's teacher numerous times but nothing seemed to be changing. Noah had been a little calmer but they suspected that was due to him knowing that he had to go to school no matter what was happening. Clara and Danny had made sure that they could get him into school everyday now, even if it was the hardest thing to do.

He came home that day and Clara looked through his bag as she always did. She flicked through his books and then picked out a letter from the school. She couldn't help but sigh when she read it. A school trip, one of which she knew he would want to go to. It wasn't that she didn't want him to go but with all that was happening it wasn't an ideal situation.

"Noah." She called him in. He soon ran to her side. "Have you been told about this trip at school? Did your teachers talk about it today?" He nodded and smiled.

"Yes! We're going to a farm! Please can I go mummy?!" She sighed and couldn't help but smile a little.

"You can, but only if you're sure. You don't have to go if you don't want to. And if anything happens, you need to tell your teacher straight away." He nodded.

"I'll stay with Jack mummy. I'll be fine." Clara frowned.

"And who's Jack then?" Noah smiled.

"He's my new friend. He just started the school." That lifted Clara's heart a little.

"That's really good Noah!" He smiled again.

"I like him." Clara smiled back as she watched him run off again. He had a friend. That was progress right? She was still nervous for the trip but at least he had one person to be with.

She spoke to Danny about it before they went to sleep that night. She rested her head on his chest as he placed his arms around her.

"I want to let him go, I do. His little face lit up at the mention of it. But you know what's been happening, the thought of that in a situation outside of school just seems a whole lot scarier." Danny nodded and kissed her head.

"I get that. But if we don't let him go, we'll never know." She sighed.

"I guess."

"I'm not saying that I'm not nervous too but the teachers know the situation now so should step in if there is any trouble. And he has a new friend right?" She nodded. "See, that's good. It may be that now he has someone else other people will join them too. This could be really good for him, a chance to spread his wings a bit." Clara nodded.

"You're right. I'm probably worrying too much. I'll fill out the letter tomorrow morning." She propped herself up on her elbow and smiled at him. He kissed her softly. "We also need to sort out work. They kinda need to know I'm going to be disappearing again in five months." He smiled and nodded.

"Yes. We can do that tomorrow as well if you like? To get it out of the way." She nodded back.

"I feel bad though."

"Why?"

"Because I've left some of my students so many times now and Adrian has had to cope without me so often. It's like I'm never there for a long stretch of time. What if they resent that?" Danny sighed.

"You, Clara Pink, worry too much. They don't resent it! This is our life, our family. It's our choice what we choose to do with it. They don't get a say in that. And when you are working, you're an amazing teacher that they literally couldn't live without. The students love you Clara. And you'll be there for their exams. Adrian can cope I think. He's had practise. No matter what happens at work, I know it's a big part of your life but this part..." He rubbed her, now clearly visible, bump. "This part is much bigger and much more exciting." She grinned and kissed him.

"You're amazing, did I ever tell you that?" He nodded.

"You have done yes. Many times. Not that I'm complaining though... Although, I'd like it if you mentioned some of my other talents too, like super strength and my cooking skills and-" He went to continued but she stopped him.

"Shut up." They both laughed as they laid in each other's arms.

The day of the school trip arrived and Clara was more nervous than she had been in ages. Noah seemed to be excited though. It had been the first morning in weeks that they hadn't had a meltdown which was huge progress. He sat happily and ate his breakfast with the girls as Clara went to grab hers. Danny came downstairs and into the kitchen soon after. He noticed Clara's nerves immediately. He walked up to her and took her hands, stopping her from continuing what she was doing.

"Stop worrying. Breathe. And look at him." She did so. "Look how happy he is. He hasn't looked like this in the mornings for so long now. This could be such a good thing for him. And he's only a phone call away." She sighed and nodded.

"I know. Sorry." He shook his head and kissed her cheek gently.

"It's okay. I just know you too well." She smiled as he walked over to see the kids.

They dropped Noah off and he seemed happy enough. Clara had a word with the teacher and she agreed to call if anything happened. Clara and Danny then got off to work. She started to pace around her room as soon as she arrived. Danny sighed as he watched her.

"Clara, he'll be fine! Stop worrying. If anything happens you'll be the first to know." She nodded.

"I know. I know. I just-" He nodded back knowingly and pulled her into a hug.

The first half of the day went rather smoothly. It wasn't until her lesson after lunch that everything headed downhill. She heard her phone ring so took it out of her desk. Her heart stopped when she saw the schools phone number on the screen. She excused herself from class and then answered it quickly.

"Hi, is everything okay?" The teacher immediately sounded troubled.

"Hi Mrs Pink. There's been an incident." Clara could feel herself start to panic. "Whilst the kids were eating lunch it appears that James and a few others began to call Noah names again. I don't know if you've heard about the new boy, Jack? He seems to have acted out of peer pressure and also said something to Noah." Clara sighed.

"Okay, right. Is he okay?" Now it went silent. "Hello?"

"Umm, sorry. He's run away. We can't find him. Would you be able to get here as soon as possible? And your husband too? We've called the police." Clara was speechless.

"Okay. Yes." Was all she could get out. She felt anger bubble up from inside of her. How had they let that happen? She ran to Danny's class. She poked her head in the door, he knew something had happened the second he saw her face. As Clara had done, he excused himself and then walked towards her. She started to cry a little adding to his concern.

"Clara? What's happened?" She sighed and looked at him.

"Noah's run away and they can't find him. They've called the police." Danny's eyes widened.

"What?! Why?!"

"The other boys started to say stuff to him and he didn't react well. The teacher has asked both of us to get there now." Danny groaned a little in frustration.

"Okay, go and sort out your class. I'll do the same. Let Adrian know and we'll go immediately."

Ten minutes later they were in the car. Danny tried hard to keep below the speed limit but the thought of Noah being out in the middle of nowhere on his own was not helping the cause. They arrived at the farm and practically ran to the teachers.

"Ah thank goodness you're here, this is DCI Thompson and PC Sanderson." Both Danny and Clara nodded.

"So what is the next step? What do we do?" Danny said, not really caring what anyone's names were at this moment in time.

"We've done a perimeter check of the area but had no luck. The likelihood is that he's hiding somewhere, given the circumstances that is very likely. So we would like you to come with us, spread out and we'll hopefully find him. He may come to us if he hears either of your voices." They both nodded. "We will also need a statement from you both first to assess the situation." Clara shook her head.

"I'm not talking to anyone until I've found my son." Danny agreed.

"Okay, let's go then. We can do that later." Why started to walk off but then Clara stopped and turned back round to the teacher.

"Wait, has he taken his medication?!" The teacher looked shocked, she then shook her head.

"No he hasn't. I'm sorry. We didn't get chance to give it to him before he-" Clara shook her head in anger. She was about to scream something not very age appropriate but one of the police officers spoke first.

"Noah takes medication? What is this for?"

"He has ADHD." They suddenly began the search with more urgency. They knew the heightened risk now. Noah wouldn't be in a situation where he would know what he was doing or would be able to find his way back, finding him quickly was vital.

They walked to the back of one of the fields and then looked to the police officer.

"So, if you Clara go that way. And Danny go that way." He pointed their directions. Danny turned to Clara.

"Be careful. Please." She nodded, knowing what he was meaning.

They walked for what seemed like hours.

"Noah!" Clara called as she jogged through the undergrowth. The light of the day was starting to fade and all that could be heard was the echo of Clara and Danny's voices. Clara stopped running for a second and put her head in her hands. "Come on Noah. Please. Please come back." She pleaded in the hope it would help in some way.

"NOAH!" She heard Danny call from not far away from her. She ran towards him.

"Where is he? Where would he go? If you were a scared five year old, where would you go?" Danny shook his head.

"I don't know. I honestly don't." He looked helpless.

"Do you think he would know the way home? At least the direction?" Danny looked up from the ground.

"He could do if he was watching on the way here or he remembered from last time we came. But I doubt he would since he's not had his medication." Clara nodded.

"What about by the river? We walked here once didn't we? We found a rope swing."

"Yes. It's this way. Let's go." They began to run again. It was getting darker and colder by the minute. All sorts were going through Clara's head. They had to find him. They had to.

Danny ran on ahead a little, Clara slowing to catch her breath. He went out of her sight for a second and then she heard him shout.

"CLARA! CLARA!" It sounded desperate. She started to run towards him but stopped suddenly when she saw Noah laying in Danny's arms.

"No no no! What's wrong with him?! Is he okay?!" Danny crouched down and rested him on his knee.

"Noah? Noah? Can you hear me?" His eyes flickered open.

"Daddy." Clara couldn't help but break down at the sight. He looked so fragile.

"It's okay buddy. You're safe now." Danny stood back up. "We need to get him to hospital. He's freezing." Clara nodded through her tears and they ran back to the police car at the farm.

They were driven to the hospital immediately. No one said a word. It all happened so quickly that they hadn't had time to get their heads around it. Clara just watched as Danny cradled Noah in his arms, wrapping his coat around him as he did.

The doctors took him away as soon as they arrived. Clara went to follow him in but was stopped by one of the police.

"Mrs Pink. I'm sorry but we need you and your husband to stay here. He's in safe hands now. I need to take your statements." Clara shook her head, tears still running down her cheeks. Danny stepped forwards, knowing what was going to happen next.

"I am not staying out here whilst my five year old son is laying in a hospital bed, cold and alone all because some children think it's funny to bully and harass him!" Danny held her in his arms but she pushed him away. "You don't understand what this has been like! You have no idea! I won't answer your bloody statement until I've been with my son!" The policeman stood back knowing that nothing he could say would calm the situation. Danny moved towards her again.

"Come on. Let's go and be with him. It's okay." She broke down into a flood of tears.

"How has this happened Danny? How have we let this happen?" She sobbed into his chest. He sighed, tears falling down his cheeks now too. He held her close and led her through towards the ward.

They didn't move from his bedside until the morning. Neither of them ate or slept. Doctors had come and gone but no answers had been given. It wasn't until lunch time the next day when Noah began to wake up. He stirred and then opened his eyes. Both Clara and Danny jumped up.

"Noah? It's mummy and daddy. You're okay." He relaxed back into the bed again.

"What happened?" Clara kissed his head softly.

"You were at the farm with school, remember?" He nodded. "And then you ran away into the woods. Daddy and I came and found you. The doctors have been checking you're okay." Clara moved to lay on the bed next to him. He hugged her tightly as soon as she did.

"Why are people being horrible to me mummy? Why me?" Clara's heart broke a little. Everything Noah said was true. Why him?

"I don't know honey. But we're going to fix it. For good this time. But don't you worry about that now. Go back to sleep if you want to? Daddy and I won't leave." He nodded and was sound asleep again in minutes.

A doctor came in not long after.

"Good morning. Although I trust you've not had much sleep." Danny and Clara smiled politely. "All tests have come back and he is in perfect health. He was extremely cold and exhausted, hence why he was unresponsive. But he'll make a full recovery within a few days. We've also made sure he's had his medication. We would like to offer some support for the situation. I understand he's being bullied?" Danny nodded. "There are counsellors available and many people you can speak to. Don't feel like you're alone."

"Thank you. We'll bare that in mind." The doctor nodded.

"We are going to discharge him later on this afternoon, you'll be able to take him home then." They both smiled as the doctor headed out of the room.

Noah refused to let go of Clara for the journey home so she ended up in the back of the car with him. He laid with her for the whole evening and then the night too. Clara wasn't complaining much though. Having her son back in her arms was the best thing. The next morning he seemed to perk up slightly, enough to talk to him some more.

"I didn't mean to run away mummy. I really didn't." Clara smiled and kissed his head.

"I know sweetie. That's okay. Don't worry about it. What made you run away though?"

"The other boys started being horrible to me again. And they kept calling me names. Then they were mean to Jack so he did what they said and was mean to me too. It made me sad and scared so I ran away. But then I got lost and I couldn't find you or daddy." Clara sighed.

"But we found you in the end. You went back to where we walked all together didn't you?" He nodded.

"Where we played in the river when it was sunny." Clara smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, that's it. You're a good boy for doing that, it helped daddy and I to find you." He went quiet for a second but then looked back up at her.

"I don't want to go on any school trips anymore. I want to stay with you. When I ran away I tried to come home to find you but I didn't know the way. It was scary."

"I know sweetie. I'm sorry. We're going to make sure that this stops happening. Then you can go back to school and enjoy it again, yeah?" He nodded and smiled a little.

Clara managed to leave Noah's side for the first time in 48 hours once he had dropped off to sleep again. She walked out to the kitchen to see Danny looking out of the window. He smiled a little as she came in and handed her a cup of tea.

"Thank you." She took a sip and then placed it down so that she could hug him. "Why did I let him go on that trip Danny? I should have trusted my gut and said no." Danny shook his head and looked at her.

"This isn't your fault Clara. You couldn't have known what was going to happen."

"I could have guessed though." He sighed and kissed her head.

"But he's back now. And he's safe and well. All we can do is focus on him and then sort out this situation." Clara nodded.

"Speaking of this situation, how are we going to sort it? Because from what I can see, speaking to the teacher alone is not enough, we're getting nowhere." Danny agreed.

"Maybe we should talk to the head teacher? Explain the situation and see what he can do?" Danny nodded.

"Yeah, we'll do that as soon as we can. For now though, he's okay so that's good. But are you okay?" She paused at the question.

"I think so. I was obviously shaken up but I think it's all sunk in now. I'm just glad he's home." Danny nodded.

"And the baby? How do you feel in that respect?" Clara knew he was going to ask that. She couldn't lie to him either.

"I'm fine now. I felt a bit strange when we got to the hospital but I'm okay now. It's probably nothing. I'm fine, I promise." He looked at her, unconvinced. He then rubbed her stomach gently.

"Sure?" She nodded.

"100%. I'd tell you if anything was wrong. You know I would." He nodded back in agreement and kissed her head. She then leant into his arms again. Danny pulled away and grabbed her hand. He led her back out to the living room where they stood to watch Noah sleeping peacefully.

"That little boy is going to be happy again. I'm determined he will be. We'll sort this, somehow. We'll do whatever it takes. He's our son and I'll never let him down again." Clara smiled and wiped away the few tears that had fallen down his cheeks.

"I love you." Danny smiled.

"I love you too. Always." He kissed her head and pulled her into a hug. In that moment there was a faint glimmer of hope. Maybe one day they'd fix this.

**Wow that was more dramatic than I expected... **

**Sorryyyy ;) **


	55. Chapter 55- Interwoven Problems

**Here's your next dose of the Pink family :) x**

Interwoven Problems

Noah had slept in Clara and Danny's bed again that night. They hadn't been able to get him to stay in his room for weeks now. Clara didn't mind too much, it gave her extra time to hug him which she would never turn down, but boy did he fidget in his sleep. Danny had slept on the sofa for the past week so that at least one of them was functioning. Clara, however, was less than functioning. Morning sickness had fully kicked, that mixed with sleep deprivation was not helping anything.

She moved herself away gently from Noah who was still fast asleep and sat up on the edge of the bed. She groaned a little at the feeling of nausea that hit her as soon as moved. Danny walked in just before their alarm went off.

"Morning." He said quietly. She rubbed her eyes and sighed. She went to speak but then paused and ran to the bathroom. Danny sighed as he heard her throw up. He held her hair back and rubbed her arm gently. She sat back on his lap and leant her head on his shoulder.

"I'm so tired. I can't do this anymore." He kissed her cheek.

"I know honey. But we can do this, we can. We're going to speak to the headteacher today, we should see some improvements very soon. And as for this morning sickness, it shouldn't last too much longer. Once you get past the next few weeks it should go away, like it did with the other three." She nodded.

"This headteacher better be useful. I don't know what I'm going to do if he's not. And yeah, you're right, with any luck." She smiled and stood up slowly. "We should probably get a move on." He nodded and followed her out to wake the kids up.

The girls got up happily as always but Noah was the opposite. It started with reluctancy but then he really kicked off. He happened to do it just as Danny had gone out of the room as well. Clara tried to grab him but he hit back at her and ran around to the other side of the table. She sighed.

"Can you help me Ellie?" She nodded and stopped him from running back the other way. "Sit down and eat your breakfast Noah. Now." She grabbed him and sat him down. In a final protest he kicked his legs out and hit Clara right in the stomach. She stood back and winced in pain.

"Are you okay mum!?" Ellie said as she ran over to her. Clara nodded and took a deep breath. Not convinced, Ellie ran and got Danny. Noah settled down a little as soon as he came in the room, he knew Danny took no nonsense.

"Noah Pink, sit down and eat your breakfast right now!" He did so and he went quieter than he had ever been. Now Danny focused his attention on Clara. "Are you okay?" She leant her weight slightly on him and nodded.

"Yeah, I think so. I didn't expect him to kick that hard." Danny nodded, still looking concerned.

"Do you want to go and get anything checked out?" She shook her head and sat down slowly.

"No, we don't have time. I'll be fine. If anything happens you'll be the first to know."

The rest of breakfast went smoothly. Noah seemed to realise what he had done so had calmed down completely. Danny got him and Lily ready to go whilst Clara packed up her stuff.

"Ready to go El?" She nodded slowly. Clara picked up on her nervousness. "What's up?" She looked up, terrified. Clara felt her hands shaking as she went to hug her. "El, what's wrong? Why are you panicking? Talk to me." Ellie looked up.

"Are you okay mum? Because Noah kicked you really hard. I saw it. You weren't lying just to make dad happy were you?" Clara sighed.

"No, honey I am fine. I promise. The baby is fine too. Don't worry about that. Let's focus on getting you to school and you having a nice day, yeah?" She nodded and hugged her once more. "You can even come and check on me at break time if you want to." Clara winked and handed her her lunch. Ellie smiled back and nodded.

Clara and Danny headed straight into the headteachers office once they had dropped Noah at his class.

"Hi, come and sit down." The head offered them inside. "So, I understand Noah's bullying has not stopped since the other boys were spoken to about it?" Clara nodded.

"It's continued throughout the last few months. I'm sure you know about the incident on the school trip last week. That was sort of the last straw. We just really need to know that this will be sorted." The head nodded understandably.

"I understand that. I am going to arrange meetings with all of the boys parents and themselves too where we will discuss the problem. I'll also sit the boys down with Noah and let them resolve things with a teacher present. The situation should be sorted very soon. I'm so sorry for how it has panned out so far." Clara and Danny nodded.

"That's okay. Do you think you'd be able to ring one of us to let us know of any progress?" He nodded.

"Of course. I'll make sure that gets done."

"Thank you for your time."

"No problem, Noah will be fine here today." They both smiled and were shown out.

They sat in the car and sighed.

"At least he's prepared to do something about it." Clara nodded in agreement.

"Exactly. All we can do now is hope that it sorts itself out." She sighed and smiled as Danny grabbed her hand.

"It will. It will all be okay."

That evening, Clara was making dinner when she stopped suddenly.

"Danny." She called him through to the kitchen. He came running in but slowed when he realised there was no panic. "I'm okay don't worry." He smiled and nodded. "I just thought, our holiday booking is for this weekend." His eyes widened with shock.

"This weekend?! Jesus I forgot." She nodded.

"So did I. What should we do? Cancelling it is probably the best option, but we should go really. We deserve it." He nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, but so much is happening. Can we leave all of this for your dad to sort out?" Clara sighed.

"We can't really. You're right. We need to be here for Noah. And Ellie's got exams soon so that isn't going to go smoothly." Danny nodded and pulled her into a hug.

"We'll get away at some point, soon we will." She smiled as he kissed her head. Ellie walked in and smiled at them both.

"You should go away you know." Both Danny and Clara looked up.

"Have you been listening in to our conversation, missy?" She laughed a little.

"No..." Clara smiled. "But you should go on your holiday. I know I have exams but I'll be okay. I can talk to grandad about that. He's good at helping me. And the school are sorting Noah out right? So he'll be okay. Lily will be fine too. Grandad knows what he's doing. You deserve this, both of you." Clara and Danny smiled. They pulled her into a hug.

"You're so grown up. Stop growing please." Clara sighed as she spoke. Ellie was developing so fast now. She was approaching fifteen, little could any of them believe it.

"I'm still you're little girl though. Don't worry." Clara smiled and kissed her head.

"How did you know I was going to say that next?"

"You're predictable." They all laughed. "But seriously, don't cancel it. I promise we'll all be okay. You're only a phone call away if we do need you." She smiled and kissed Clara on the cheek before walking up to her bedroom. Clara watched Danny for a second before speaking.

"She's probably right." Danny nodded.

"She is. She's very wise, just like her mother." Clara smiled.

"I'll sort it out with dad then, I'm sure he'll be more than happy to help." He kissed her softly and then began to help her finish off dinner.

Clara popped round to Dave's the next day.

"Hi darling, how are you?" Clara smiled and kissed his cheek as she entered the door.

"Okay I guess. How about you?" He began to make them both a cup of tea.

"Yeah I'm good, I'd be better if you'd tell me what's up though." Clara sighed.

"I don't want to stress you." Dave shook his head.

"I'm your dad. I worry about you anyway. Come on, let's have a chat." They sat down in the living room.

"I just feel like I've failed. How have we let Noah become so upset? I should have sorted it sooner. We could have lost him the other day. That would have been the end of everything. I just feel like I could have stopped any of that from happening." Dave sighed.

"Clara this is not your fault."

"But I knew I shouldn't have let him go on that trip. I should have trusted my gut and said no. But I didn't. And look where that's got us."

"Okay, maybe if you had kept him at home this wouldn't have happened. But you would have had a very unhappy child to contend with if you had done that. You did the right thing. He wanted to go. He wanted to be with his new friend. You can't have known what would happen afterwards. If you're going to blame someone, blame the teacher for not watching the situation." She nodded and sighed.

"I guess. We've spoken to the head teacher now. He's arranging meetings with the boys and their parents and he also wants to sit them down with Noah and let them talk it out."

"There you go, that's progress isn't it?" Clara smiled weakly. "You need to stop being so hard on yourself. You've done all that you could have done in the last few months. Noah, and the girls, are so amazing. They wouldn't be as amazing if they hadn't had you as a mum." Clara now smiled. "And you've got another one on the way which everyone is excited about. Don't let this get you down, honestly no one blames you at all." She began to rub her bump almost instinctively.

"I just love them all so much. More than anything. I want them to have the best lives they can, I can't help but feel like I've let them down." Dave sighed and moved to sit next to her.

"Clara you have been the absolute best mum to all three of them. Ellie went through a hard time but she'd come out the other side as a happier and more confident girl. She's growing up so fast and is turning into an amazing young adult. She appreciates you so much, more than you'll ever know. And Lily is such a ball of fun, you're always there to join in with the fun or to comfort her if she needs it. Noah will get through this. He will. It's hard, I know it is, but I promise all that you've done will help him in the long run. Every second you've spent worrying about that boy has led you to making the best decisions and helping him in the best way you can. I'm so so proud of you. You've got the most amazing husband who worships you and you've given me three incredible grandchildren. You've been absolutely selfless for so long now. You deserve the upmost happiness." She wiped away her tears and smiled.

"Would mum be proud?" Dave laughed a little.

"Do I even need to answer that?" She smiled.

"Now, getting to what I need to ask you. You know that holiday Danny and I booked? It's-"

"It's this weekend, I know. It's all planned. I'm staying at yours with the kids." Clara looked at him, shocked.

"So you're okay to look after them?"

"Of course! I'd love to. There's no way you're not going on that holiday. You both deserve it. The kids will be fine. If anything happens we'll ring you." Clara smiled.

"You're the best." Dave laughed.

"I know." They both smiled.

The weekend arrived and Clara finished off packing for her and Danny. She had decided that it was quicker and easier for her to do both of their packing from previous experience of holidays. She grabbed the suitcase and headed to the top of the stairs. Danny walked past as she started to move it down.

"Clara! I'll do that!" He said before running up to take it off of her. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"You were busy. You're way to protective." He smiled and shook his head. He picked it up and kissed her softly. They stayed there for a second but then quickly carried on as all three kids arrived at the bottom of the stairs.

"What's up you lot?" They smiled and laughed. "The child who puts a bag in the car boot the quickest gets extra pocket money!" They all sprung into action making Clara and Danny laugh.

"You're cruel Mr Pink." He shrugged.

"Saves us doing it." He winked as she kissed his cheek.

The journey seemed to go much quicker than they expected. The ferry was on time and they were staying by the coast so they didn't have far to commute. Clara collapsed down on the bed as soon as they got in. Danny smiled and laid next to her.

"I'm so tired." He grinned again and propped himself up on his elbow.

"Can I help with that at all?" She giggled and kissed him.

"Maybe, it depends what you're offering." She kissed him deeply now and settled in his arms.

Clara opened up the balcony door and grabbed Danny a beer. He got up from the bed and joined her. She sipped her water as she watched him properly relax for the first time in months.

"I think this holiday was a good idea." She smiled.

"You've changed your tune." He nodded.

"I think I was just apprehensive to leave the kids at this time, especially Noah." Clara nodded back.

"That's understandable." He put his arm around her.

"But now we're here, I can see that we made the right decision. The kids love your dad. They'll be fine. Absolutely fine." Clara smiled in agreement. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes but then Clara looked up.

"I just thought-"

"Careful." She hit his chest and smiled.

"No, really. Where are we going to put the baby when it's born?" He laughed.

"What do you mean?"

"Where is it going to sleep? We don't have a spare bedroom." He sighed.

"Why didn't we think of that?" She laughed.

"I have no idea. Do you think we could put Ellie and Lily together for a while?" He nodded.

"I don't think they'd mind that. But the baby will be in with us for a while anyway though so we have time."

"I guess." He frowned.

"You're worrying. I know that face. Why are you worrying?" She sighed. He knew her too well.

"I just feel like I should be so relaxed about this pregnancy. It's our fourth child and I still feel like I've never done it before." He nodded and took her hand.

"That's okay. It doesn't matter how many children we've had, that doesn't make having another one any less of a big event. But don't stress about it, we'll manage. The other three have turned out fine so I'm sure this one will too." She smiled and laughed a little.

"You're right. Speaking of this baby, it's had a growth spurt and hasn't stopped growing since." She rubbed her bump gently.

"It has. Must be a big baby. Which makes me worried because it's likely to be a boy and that means I've lost the gender bet again." She giggled.

"What did I tell you? I always win." He smiled.

"Are you sure you're okay from the other day when Noah decided to kick you?" She nodded.

"Yeah, I have a bruise but I'm okay. It just hurt initially I think." He smiled and kissed her head.

"Good. Now let's stop worrying and enjoy this holiday. I assume it's the last one we're going to get in a while."

They visited the Eiffel Tower the next day, how could one not when in Paris.

"This reminds me of when we came here all those years ago. Just you and I. Before the kids, before the crazy life we have now." She smiled and held his hand gently.

"That was a good holiday." He smiled back.

"It was indeed. For more reasons than what you're thinking of." He winked and kissed her cheek. She giggled and hit his chest.

"Hey you, I was actually thinking about the lovely time we had around the city." He laughed.

"Of course, of course." They both smiled.

"I'm glad we've come away but I miss the kids already." He nodded.

"I do too. The constant noise. The laughter."

"I'm proud of them, all three of them. So so proud." He kissed her head.

"They're amazing kids." They both paused for a second. "See, we've come to Paris, it's a beautiful evening and we still can't stop talking about them." She laughed a little.

"Well they do take up a lot of our time. I wouldn't change that for the world though." He nodded. He pulled her to the side gently to stop her from walking. They sat down on the grass and made themselves comfortable.

"For now though, put them out of your mind. Just for a second." He kissed her softly.

"You're a very good distraction." He smiled and kissed her again.

"Remember our first date-" Suddenly, they heard Clara's phone ring. She looked at the screen and sighed.

"It's dad." Danny nodded.

"Answer it. It's okay." She did so but was surprised to hear Ellie's voice on the other end.

"El? Are you okay?" Clara put the phone on speaker so that Danny could listen too.

"Mummy it's all going wrong!"

"What is honey? What's happening?" Clara could feel her heart thumping in her chest.

"Noah ran away so grandad is trying to catch him. And my teacher started talking about exams so I panicked. But I couldn't tell grandad because he was chasing Noah. So I had to ring you. But I'm sorry because I know you are meant to be having a weekend alone." Clara and Danny both sighed.

"Okay Ellie. First of all, don't worry about calling us, that doesn't matter. Secondly, you need to breathe. Calm down sweetie. It's okay." Danny said. "Breathe, try to calm yourself down."

"Okay. Grandad's come back with Noah now." Clara sighed a sigh of relief. Dave must have spotted Ellie's situation soon after as they could hear him talking in the background. Soon, he came on the other end of the phone himself.

"Hi, sorry about this. It all went a bit wrong. But it's okay, it's okay! Don't worry yourselves. I've got this under control. You carry on enjoying your holiday."

"Dad are you sure?" Ellie indicated she was okay and Dave did the same so they ended the conversation. Clara sighed and put her phone on her lap. She soon moved her head into her hands. Danny sighed.

"They'll be fine Clara, absolutely fine." She sighed.

"Why does this always happen to us though? I feel like I need to be at home all the time or I miss something or something bad happens." He pulled her into a hug so her head leant on his shoulder.

"Things happen. Things always happen, as they always will in our household. That's just what we're like. But you're dad will be fine, he's so good with the kids. You deserve a break, you can't always be there. When you are there you're such an incredible mum, so when you're not they know what to do." She smiled and nodded.

"I guess so." Danny shook his head.

"I know so. Now let's go and have a walk around."

They headed home the next day. It had been a lovely trip in all, short lived but exactly the break they had needed. However, that break seemed to become further and further away by the next morning. Danny had to wrestle Noah out of bed again for school, Lily had come down with the sickness bug and Ellie was panicking about her first exam. Clara tried to juggle the girls whilst Danny got Noah dressed.

"El! Can you grab a glass of water please?!" Clara called as she sat beside Lily who had thrown up for the third time that morning. Ellie came to the door and stared at Lily. "El?" Clara sighed. She was anxious already let alone Lily being ill as well. She could tell this was going to be a tough day.

"Mum I need to talk to you." Clara nodded.

"I know sweetie, and I can talk through things with you in a minute but I need to sort Lily first. Can you grab that water? And I'll get her back into bed so that I can talk to you?" She nodded and ran downstairs so Clara turned her attention back to Lily.

She managed to get Lily into bed a few minutes later and she fell asleep immediately. Danny walked past with Noah in his arms, still kicking and screaming. Clara sighed and took Ellie into the other room.

"What's up honey?" She didn't need to ask really but she needed to allow Ellie to explain how she felt.

"I'm so scared mum. It's my first exam today and I don't think I can do it." Clara pulled her into a hug.

"I know it's scary honey but as soon as you get in there and sit down you'll be absolutely fine. You've revised really hard and you've done loads of practise."

"But what if it's not enough? What if I do badly?" Clara kissed her head.

"If you can't answer a question you just move on. Just do the best you can. It's a mock so you have time to improve if it doesn't go as well as you want it to. Trust me sweetie, you'll be amazing. We'll all be thinking of you." She nodded. "So where's that nice big smile?" Ellie laughed a little and smiled up at her mum. "That's it. Now off you go and grab some breakfast. I'll be down in just a second." She nodded and did so.

Clara walked downstairs to see that Danny had put Noah in the car and was grabbing his packed lunch for him.

"I'm going to take him in early, there's no way he's going to calm down. We can take Ellie in with less drama then." Clara nodded and sighed.

"Good idea. I'll see you in a second."

Ellie sat at the table and watched Clara get herself some breakfast. She rubbed her stomach as she walked across the kitchen.

"Are you okay mum?" Clara nodded.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"You keep touching your tummy." She smiled and sat down beside her.

"That's because your little brother or sister is deciding to wiggle about this morning. But that's a good thing so don't worry." Ellie smiled.

"Can I feel it?" Clara nodded and showed her where to put her hand. Ellie's eyes lit up as soon as she felt movement. "That's so cool! I'm so excited, I can't wait." Clara smiled.

"Me neither. You're going to be an amazing big big big sister." She giggled a little and finished up her breakfast.

Once they'd decided that it was Clara who would stay at home with Lily and Danny had taken the other two to school, Clara had time to sit down. She flicked through one of their family photo albums, smiling at all of the memories. She thought back to how she had felt on holiday. She had missed the kids so much even though they were only gone for two days. Everything about their lives was busy and completely insane but she wouldn't change that for the world. Her family was the best thing that had ever happened to her and nothing could take away that feeling.

**Yayyyy**


End file.
